ABOUT US

In 2018, I was on a flight and, as I do when travelling, I was reading. The book that day was by a neuroscientist and was on the topic of how the brain reacts to influence and change. The author was describing why we humans seek to confirm what we believe to be true, often ignoring other relevant evidence. I stopped reading mid-sentence, questioning myself, was I falling subject to confirmation bias? Is adult bullying as big as I think it is or am I over exaggerating the size of the problem?

As I sat there wondering if I had slid too far down the proverbial rabbit hole, I summoned up the courage to ask the stranger next to me if she had any experience with workplace bullying.

She looked taken aback but went on to spend the next 20 minutes describing in great detail her experience two years previous of landing a new job, followed promptly by a subordinate who felt aggrieved at not getting the appointment, doing everything possible to make her fail in her new role. In the end, she left and the “bully” subordinate was rewarded with her vacated position.

While my seat-mate enjoyed her current job, she was still miffed that the former manager was blind, the bully was rewarded, and her old friends were suffering under the bully.

Over the past two years, as I worked on designing and delivering a solution to the phenomena of workplace bullying, this experience has repeated time and time again. Each time I began to feel that I might be exaggerating the need for a solution, I would find myself in a casual conversation with a stranger who would then reaffirm the necessity for a simple but smart solution.

Waiting during my car’s WOF check, I found myself chatting with a nurse who detailed the change in the office environment after the hiring of a new manager. One by one, nurses and office staff began leaving. She took the bullying problem to the GP who simply stated he couldn’t afford to replace the office manager. The nurse, too, had left the practice and – smiling – stated they are still having problems retaining personnel under that bully.

I collected a Trade Me purchase and the seller shared that his daughter had worked as a waitress in an upscale pub downtown. She was touched sexually by a customer while at work. When she reported it to her manager, he dismissed it saying, "… flirting to increase sales is part of your job."

On a train, I spoke with a teacher who had lost a close associate to suicide due to bullying by a colleague at his school. The teacher was leaving the profession because not even the board was interested in fixing the culture.

Not only is it a widespread issue, but incidents of adult bullying are growing in New Zealand, despite the increase in media attention and the associated #MeToo movement. Dr. Elliott, our GP advisor, shared that according to his insurance report, 70% of all Medical Certificates were written for bullying and stress in the workplace.  When I reiterated this number to another GP in an interview, his response was "It is more like 90% in my practice."

While there are information, training, and policies, there is little operational knowledge about how to identify, measure, or resolve adult bullying. All negative behaviours seem to be clumped into the one basket of “workplace bullying,” but all situations and behaviours are not the same, nor equal, and their management and resolution should vary greatly as well. Some cases seem quite simple, such as a team leader who uses aggressive communication styles towards colleagues. While others are extreme, where a perpetrator bullies a whistleblower to the point of exit, destroying their life and livelihood in the process. Even simple cases often turn destructive where there is a failure to accurately manage or resolve them.

As a result of my own experiences, I started researching, interviewing, and analysing adult bullying in organisations and putting my experience of developing agile organisations, towards designing potential solutions. WorkRight23 is the outcome of that work. It has been a journey and not always easy but I have been joined by incredible people with amazing strength and fortitude.  Along the way, I found my own healing. You and yours will too.

Help us educate New Zealanders and New Zealand organisations on what is or isn’t adult bullying; on how to manage and resolve issues when they arise; and how to reform or prosecute perpetrators. Please join us in our vision to bring an end to adult bullying in New Zealand organisations. Become a member today.

Towards a healthy and happy New Zealand...