My Boss Is A Bully
Below is a typical scene in my workplace.
My co workers and I are gathered around the communal dining table when a pale, chubby fist smashes down onto the facility manager’s plate.
Fish and chips fly all over the table but most ends up all over the manager who is slack jawed and in shock. We are speechless, what can you say when it’s the CEO acting like a high school bully?
“That was random” I comment. The CEO grins and tells me “I saw someone do it on YouTube, it was so funny!” The man is 49. I do about a billion covert eye rolls.
The CEO grabs the bottle of ketchup and squeezes the whole bottle over the receptionists lunch. It looks like chips drowning in a red, saucy sea.
“YouTube?” I ask. “Yeah” he confirms whilst giggling like a hyena on laughing gas.
The CEO gets up and ambles over to the fridge but suddenly turns about face. He picks up a piece of cake from the table, the remnants of morning tea.
The divisional manager’s face is the unlucky recipient of the dessert. It is smeared into his face util it is nothing but crumbs.
“Uh-oh” I think. I’m the only one left not assaulted at the dining table.
I reach for the knife next to my plate as the CEO looks at me with a sadistic gleam in his eye. I hold the knife up and say “bring it on”. The CEO backs down like every bully when confronted.
Some background information — I work for a non profit that has homes for the mentally unwell and a psychiatric hostel. The boss is related to the person who started our charity many years ago.
It makes it hard to be able to make a complaint when it’s a family business and the board members are family and long term friends.
According to this Forbes article, 72% of workplace bullies are bosses.
The tactics they learned in the school yard will very often carry over to the business world.
Here are some common signs of a work place bully.
- Verbal abuse which includes shouting, swearing and offensive jokes at the expense of the employee.
- Intimidates you by invading your personal space, standing over you, threatens to fire you regularly to maintain control.
- Questions your commitment if you don’t put in long hours or take vacation time even though he comes and goes as he pleases.
- Intrudes on your privacy by eavesdropping on conversations and going through your personal belongings.
- Undermines your work by setting unrealistic deadlines and not providing you with all the necessary information needed to complete your work
- Isolates you at work and excludes you from meetings
- Discriminates against you for your gender, sexual preference or ethnicity.
I know my particular bullying boss would fire me if I confronted him about his behavior so for now, I limit my contact with him as much as possible.
