Dealing with Sharks and Bullies in the Workplace

Abstract

Abstract: Some of the behaviors that impede growth and development of faculty are subversive; destructive and demoralizing tactics are used to gain power and to take control. Examples include verbal abuse, punishment, criticism, putdowns and sarcastic or malicious gossip. This behavior has been given the name of Interactive Work Place Trauma (IWPV) or Horizontal Violence (HV). The perpetrators are called bullies but an analogy will be made for bullies to be called sharks. Just as a swimmer should have tactics for dealing with sharks, faculty should also use interventions for dealing with IWPV and HV. Key Words: Workplace Issues in Nursing, Sharks, Identifying Sharks, Dealing with Sharks, interactive Work Place Trauma (IWPV), Horizontal Violence (HV) Everyday, faculty are involved in maintaining an academic work environment that is conducive to personal growth without too much risk taking. Maintaining this environment means that one has to be to behaviors of others which impact personal growth. Some of the behaviors that impede growth and development of faculty are subversive and demoralizing tactics used to gain power and to take control (Shewchuk, 2005). Individuals who desire to control others may use a variety of approaches including verbal abuse, punishment, criticism, putdowns and malicious gossip (Robertson, 2004). This behavior has been given the name of Interactive Work Place Trauma (IWPV) (Shewchuk, 2005) and Horizontal Violence (HV) (Hutchinson, Vickers, Jackson, & Wilkes, 2006; Robertson, 2004). The effects of IWPV and HV have tentacles that impact the work environment for everyone and may make going to work extremely difficult. PERPETRATORS OF IWPV AND HV The literature identifies the perpetrators of IWPV and HV as bullies. Workplace bullying is a harmful phenomenon which exists in many workplaces (Hutchinson, Vickers, Jackson, & Wilkes, 2006). This is not an unintentional event, but is a deliberate and ongoing set of actions and behaviors that continue over time. Workplace bullies are individuals who are skilled at manipulation while denying doing anything wrong. They often pit people against one another and derive immense satisfaction from the experiential difficulty and mental and physical discomfort of others (Shewchuk, 2005). Characteristics of the person that is a bully include a domineering and superior presence over others. They display arrogance in both their body language and verbal c pressions. The body language often contains a rolling of 'lie eyes as well as the assumption of an aggressive stance such as folding the arms or storming out of a room. Verbal abuse can take the form of undue criticism, sarcasm, raised voices, and shouting (Robertson, 2004; Shewchuk, 2005). EFFECTS OF IWPV AND HV The effects of IWPV and HV are that the recipients of the behavior may experience stress related health problems (Robertson, 2004). The stress related problems include elevated blood pressure, avoidance of professional relationships, depression, anxiety and lowered work performance (Robertson, 2004). Clearly, the cumulative effects of bullying can impact the individual's physiological and psychological health. The person must also be on alert to avoid contact with the bully. The work environment becomes toxic and emotionally oppressive. The end result is that when a person is placed in this sort of environment, they seek relief. Relief can take various forms, but the most common is excessive absenteeism (Shewchuk, 2005). The impact on the employer can be high unexplained rates of turnover. Other effects are reduced productivity and loyalty (Hutchinson, Vickers, Jackson & Wilkes, 2006; Shewchuk, 2005). INTERVENTIONS The literature provides many ways of dealing with IWPV and HV (Hutchinson, Vickers, Jackson & Wilkes, 2006;Shewchuk, 2005; McKenna, Smith, Poole, & Coverdale, 2003; Shewchuk, 2005). At the forefront is education and training. …