ByJudith Moraa
Are you a Woman facing workplace intimidation? No problem. Bullies are scary, shocking, embarrassing and far too often tolerated in the workplace. Why? Because we don’t want to have to deal with them, we don’t want the attack, the conflict, the discomfort. So we pretend they aren’t wreaking havoc into our lives, we grit our teeth, and tolerate them.
Workplace bullying does not have to be physical, it’s also the emotional, psychological subtle micro-aggressions that some people face. These micro-aggressions takes on many forms from a person who constantly dismisses your opinion during meetings to asking a woman to take notes as it is a task ‘better suited’ for the female gender. Here are 3 steps to manage these situations.
1. Identify if and how you are allowing the bullying to occur. We all want to avoid uncomfortable issues, especially if it involves others, but what is the cost? As we daily give our power away and compromise our integrity we enable bullies to rise.
2. Disrupt the pattern. Find avenues needed to disrupt the patters. This may include involving others to mediate and come to a favorable conclusion for all parties.
3. Proceed with healthy boundaries and behaviors so that the cycle is forever ended.
You don’t have to do this all on your own. Above all support other women. Help other women be heard. Repeat what they say in meetings. Call on them to speak if they look like they have something to say. Give them space to be heard and to have a seat at the table. Have you experienced bullying at work? How did you manage it? (Tell us)
Thanks for the post Judith. A great read and helpful to so many out there experiencing this. Most people, especially women of color who are often targeted for this kind of behavior, can testify to experiencing it. I did for many years until I stood up for myself and when I did I was so determined never to let it happen to me again! I have devoted my career going forward to empowering people to gain skills to build skills in themselves a kind of strength which can come from confidence in who you are and your abilities so that when the bullies come into their orbit they have the strength to stand up to them in the ways you suggest in your article and more! Bullies will always exist. They are everywhere you will go. I have learnt I cannot run away from them. The more confident I become the stronger I become, the more bullies come out of the woodwork ready to tear down what I am building for myself. Only this time I am focused on me so I don’t let them matter. I could say more but I don’t want to write an entire blog post in response to your very good post. I really I just wanted to say how much I appreciate that you wrote this. I look forward to reading more from you and hope you will comment on my articles when I submit them too. One day! 😉 I am a huge fan of the Teakisi platform. Well done to them and well done you. 🙂