THE URBAN BULLY

Part 3

Another approach that works is to show that a bully who claims some special knowledge or experience does not know what he is talking about. If this can be brought forward with really simple, short and plain speech, it can be effective. If it can be further refined and expressed as comedy the bully can be undressed in public as surely as a goalie who goes to the left then is faked to the right (to the endless delight of pretty well everyone except the goalie's family). This requires skill and luck but happily a genuine and persistent research effort can substitute for these to some extent. But be sure to have your material reviewed by several knowledgeable people and check your facts two, three times. Try to avoid errors like spelling mistakes. Bullies are usually pretty thin on the ground even about subjects they pretend to be well versed in, and they tend to leave off a research effort as soon as they find something they can use to assault victims with, so they tend to be relentless on common and small stuff like spelling where they feel sure of their ground or can use a computer device like spell check. The essential thing is to realize that a bully wants to bully and does not really care about getting at the truth of an issue and so will not dare to press too far into areas requiring detailed knowledge of a subject.


Some hints for dealing with bullies in the workplace.

Identify that you really are dealing with a bully. This may require enough restraint to wait for the second attack, especially if you have an urge to deliver an instant counter attack.

An immediate response may be to brace the bully with an angry reply in words (but not in deeds since that will get you fired from the workplace). This is like responding with a five-second stare. It is not much much but it will cause the bully to start wondering if it has really picked a safe target. This is all that is useful in the way of a direct answer.

Counter-attack the audience. Go up to the first person near you and ask: "Do you support bullying of employees here?" They will not say yes, and neither will anyone else though someone may say you are making a big deal out of nothing. But that can only come from an even lower form of life: the Common Urban Bully Stooge, a creature even more cowardly than a bully. Just say"boo" and they will go away.

You can follow up with a declaration that you will file a grievance since this will not stop unless action is taken and you have been assured by the crew that bullying is not the policy. Then do it, exactly, and steady yourself to push the procedure all the way. You will succeed but understand that this is what the "fight" of this particular fight is all about. Hold your ground, your tongue, and your temper. If you are in a non union shop, type a notice and put it on the employee notice board or the safety board stating that you have been harassed by a named person and have written to management to ask that they enforce their harassment policy; and if they do not have such a policy you will go to Human Rights (Provincial Agency). If your note is removed (it will be) put it up again, and repeat as required. Ignore nasty little asides by low level management about how we all have to get along here, or that you are not liked for your efforts and are risking your job, or the bully is really a good old boy, and so on. Nobody really likes the bully, not even his stooges,so hold steady, do not respond to distractions, say absolutely nothing to the bully and you will probably succeed after some pretty miserable shifts. Avoid at all costs any important errors in your own job. Never attack the management directly unless the bully is one of them. The company cannot be seen to defend or support bullying, and that is the lever you must push on. Always remember that a bully injures production or morale or both in any plant and most managers know that intuitively.

Part 4 to follow