Paul PelletierProject management key note speaker, author, corporate lawyer, and executive| Paul Pelletier Consulting Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
A December 2015, Huffington Post article discusses strategies for effectively approaching management about a workplace bullying problem. Here is the critical advice:
"To get powerful figures on your side, you have to build genuine, trusting relationships with them first. The secret is to appeal to their interests. That's right. If you want management to "tune into" workplace bullying, make sure you're broadcasting on their favourite station: WIFM (What's In It For Me?). What I mean is that you have make the case that helping you will help them too."
In my experience, this is very helpful advice and plays a significant role in the likelihood of success when filing a complaint about your workplace or project bully.
Matthew TurnerSpecial Projects ManagerNorfolk, VA, United States
When managing bullies, I tend to put them in charge of or assign them to work on the projects they tend to pick apart. It gives them a focus on solving the problems as a direct responsibility of their job; that generally prevents them from having time to bully the other project team members. Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
Bullying is a form of insecurity. Building a relationship with the person with bullying behaviour is appropriate to understand what they are fearful or anxious about.
(I try to call them persons with bullying behaviour, rather than call them bullies. Most people are more than just the one behaviour.)
Bullying behaviour should be raised to your supervisor if it affects performance, whether yours or the other person. An alternative would be to raise it to your ombudsperson or the unit that deals with standards of conduct. Saving Changes...
Paul PelletierProject management key note speaker, author, corporate lawyer, and executive| Paul Pelletier Consulting Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Thanks for your great comments Matthew and Stephane. These are indeed complex behaviours with layers of issues including the bullying actions. I'm not a counsellor or psychologist so I focus on the business issues and practical challenged involved when dealing with a workplace bully.
Both your comments help add ideas. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
The problem here is that it did not take care about culture (in my understanding). I am working in multi-national project with woman and man from more than 65 countries around the world. Thanks God, because the values of the Company where I am working right now, that people have no room here. But I have facing this type of things in other companies in the past and culture is a critical point to take into account to face with this type of situtations. Saving Changes...
