The cost of bullying - a cautionary tale
I was at the gym the other day and I was involved in a discussion about how difficult it can be to ask questions if you think it will make you look stupid. I, for example, cannot operate the thing on the petrol pump that automatically dispenses the petrol without you holding it. I have tried and tried and tried. I am surreptitious about these efforts because I don’t want other customers to see me trying in case they think I am stupid. As it appears to me that it must be simple (men can do it after all) I have always been too scared to ask how it worked in case the Petrol Attendant went back into the station to his or her colleagues and they laughed and pointed at me for being so dumb.
Bullying or just unpleasant behaviour?
Back in 2010 Stuff posted an article declaring “Kiwis worst in the world for bullying”. The article relied on a survey of 1700 workers from various industries in which 17.8% of respondents were identified as “victims of bullying”. More recently, last year Stuff reported on the issue again, quoting further studies and experts showing that workplace bulling was “rife”.
What employers wish they could ask in a job interview
I read an article recently about things that Employers cannot by law ask at a job interview. Such things as are you are union member? Are you gay? Do you intend to have children? etc etc. I thought of some things that maybe employers would ask if they could.
What is Bullying?
Many workplaces have a workplace ‘bully’; it might be the passive aggressive, or intimidating one, who is difficult to deal with, or who is constantly putting people down. Their behaviour however, must reach a high level of seriousness, and be ongoing, to be substantial grounds for taking disciplinary action against that person.
Often we have employer client’s being accused of ‘bullying’ their employees or asked to investigate their employees who are said to be bullying other work mates.
Getting to the Bottom of things
Background
Mr A. was a senior sales executive. He had been employed for 31 years by the same company and progressed in his career from being an operator in the factory owned by the employer right up to second senior sales position.
The New Zealand side of the company was accountable to a senior management team based in Australia – Mr G. was the Managing Director for Australia/New Zealand.
At an awards evening on 3 February 2012 Mr A. received a Silver Fern award in recognition of his sales achievements.
