Can you be bullied by a subordinate? What Management Never Expects...
By Antoine G Larosiliere
We all know that the workplace has its share of bullies, but can you be bullied by a subordinate?
The workplace is a microcosm of life. The same way life is littered with bullies, the same applies to the workplace. Usually the power structure in the workplace is in such a way that the people in management are often the bullies. But, can you be bullied by a subordinate? Absolutely. Some subordinates will bully you to try to control your behavior, how you feel and other’s behavior towards you. They want to be in charge, have things go their way and will manipulate you and other’s to do so. These subordinates also bully you due to their envy of your position, abilities or accomplishments.
Let’s take a closer look at these subordinate bullies and what we can do about them.
What is workplace bullying?
Is when someone tries to gain control or overpower a co-worker by using hurtful, manipulating and humiliating actions in the workplace. This behavior is usually recurring and could target one person or a group of people. Some forms of workplace bullying include…
- Practical jokes and insults used to target an individual or group.
- Purposely misdirecting or misleading co-workers about their duties, deadlines and protocols.
- Consistently being denied privileges earned and appropriate requests made.
- Being subjected to a pattern of abuse, humiliation and personal threats.
- Being overly micromanaged and monitored for your performance on the job.
- Being subjected to unjust criticism and harsh or unfair labeling.
A workplace that is unfriendly, antagonistic, where you’re constantly being met with opposition is a hostile environment.
What does a workplace hostile environment look like?
A workplace that is unfriendly, antagonistic, where you’re constantly being met with opposition is a hostile environment. These types of environments make it almost impossible to perform on a high level due to a level of stress and anxiety that could be debilitating for some people. A hostile work environment could include any of the following…
- Co-workers give you the silent treatment or purposely ignore you when you speak or enter the room.
- Co-workers purposely and consistently exclude you from office culture; such as social gatherings, activities and conversations.
- Supervisors continuously set up meetings with you for vague reasons.
- Supervisors not responding or adhering to your requests for assistance.
- Supervisors assign you tasks and responsibilities you are not trained for.
- You are frequently micromanaged and monitored to undermine your capabilities.
- You’ll be asked to execute difficult and unnecessary tasks to try to expose your incompetence.
- You’re routinely being sabotaged with your personal and work-related items being misplaced or taken.
if an aggressive, harmful, or humiliating behavior isn’t repeated or intentional, then it isn’t bullying
What might look like abuse or bullying but isnt…
Some behaviors in the workplace may be excessive, careless, or inconsiderate, but that doesn’t necessarily mean its abuse of bullying. It’s easy to feel like we’re being bullied or abused when we’re stressed, overworked or underappreciated, but it doesn’t mean that’s what is actually happening. For the most part, if an aggressive, harmful, or humiliating behavior isn’t repeated or intentional, then it isn’t bullying. Below are a few examples to look out for that may look like abuse or bullying, but aren’t.
- Expressing a difference of opinion with careless words or an aggressive tone.
- Being given feedback, advice or guidance, of your work habits but the delivery is careless and at the wrong time.
- Reasonable action taken against you by management due to poor performance.
- Being Assigned a heavier workload and failing to properly communicate to you why.
- Increasing the amount of monitoring you get in a particular week without an explanation.
- Being delivered instructions in an aggressive and impatient tone on a particular day.
- Having your work performance evaluated once in a condescending tone.
Who are the workplace bullies?
There’s the coworker who’s deceptive. There’s the one who’s got a negative comment for everything.There’s the rude, often loud, and obnoxiously annoying coworker. There’s the power hungry coworker, or the one who’s passive aggressive. There’s the one who has a “Type A” personality and unintentionally bullies you. There’s the coworker who wants to be the center of attention, or the other one who tries so hard to fit in. Last but not least; there’s the charismatic, intelligent sociopath coworker, who’s usually in some type of management role.
Which type of workplace bully is likely to be your subordinate?
There are four types of workplace bullies that are more likely to be your subordinate;
Mr/Mrs “Know it all,” the “ Wannabe,” the “Unintentional Bully,” and Mr./Ms. “Two Face.” Read more about these workplace bullies here. These subordinates are usually determined to impose an imbalance of power by trying to control you. They want to be in charge, have things go their way and will manipulate you and other’s to do so. They are usually outgoing, socially involved in the workplace and try to use their influence to get their way. These co-workers are also likely to bully you due to their envy of your position, abilities or accomplishments.
Can a subordinate create a hostile work environment?
Subordinates who are bullies can create an environment that is unhealthy and unproductive. These co-workers often create a tense environment that causes anxiety on not just the person being attacked, but on others as well. You may notice an increase of employee absences, latenesses and a high turnover rate. Teamwork will suffer due to a lack of trust, effort, and commitment. You may also notice employees are less creative and have a difficulty responding to difficult situations or challenging tasks.
What can you do about it?
If a subordinate co-worker is making rude or abusive comments, there’s two ways you can handle that. The first, is to be stoic in your behavior and your response. Don’t react emotionally so your co-worker bully can see their attempts to overpower you or manipulate your feelings won’t work. The second is to react positively. Responding with compliments in my experience, appears to be the most effective strategy to verbal bullying or just plain rudeness. You can also confront the bully. Bring along someone you trust or a witness, and ask them to stop. In doing so, be calm, straight forward, and polite. If your co-worker is using other forms or aggression to sabotage, humiliate or manipulate you….
- Document the bullying in full detail. Keep track of dates, times, places, what was said or done; and which parties were present.
- Retrieve and prepare copies of the harassment or bullying. In particular documents that contradict the bully’s accusations, such as time sheets, audit reports, receipts, threatening notes, emails ect…
- Report the incidents to your superior and discuss the proper actions they are comfortable with.
- Report the incidents to your human resources department.
- If the bullying isn’t resolved or escalates, consider looking for employment elsewhere.
- If leaving your job isn’t a realistic option right at the moment, seek legal guidance. Talk to a lawyer, depending on the circumstances, legal action may not always be possible.
- While your options are being sorted out, prioritize taking care of yourself to build more confidence. Exercise, eat right, get massages and enjoy your free time.
Workplace bullying continues to be a serious problem in every industry. It affects us all in some capacity sooner or later. If left untreated or ignored the effects could be damaging to us emotionally, socially, financially, professionally and psychologically.
If workplace bullying involves violence, or stalking, please contact your local police station. I hope this has been helpful. Also visit my YouTube channel for more insight to these topics.
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