Corporate Bullies
Why does it seem like corporate bullying is on the rise? Is it because the workplace has become more stressful or because we now have a label for it?
I have noticed an increase in career coaching clients coming to me all stressed out because of corporate bullying. They are desperate to either figure out how to cope with the situation or devise an exit strategy. Their stories are tragic and completely avoidable.
Working with bullying can lead to burn out and stress leave as well as other very serious health issues. It is not something to take lightly. It can crush a high performer to the point they are paralyzed.
I am hoping that as more and more corporations adopt 360 degree reviews and other forms of gathering honest, comprehensive feedback from employees that the incidences of corporate bullies continuing their rein of terror will decrease. The biggest problem with corporate bullies is that they lead by fear and persuasion. If they are good at bullying, they will have people so fearful that the truth about their leadership style remains a secret.
In my opinion, companies need to evaluate leaders by looking at metrics like departmental turn-over (both involuntary (firing) and voluntary (quitting), requests for leaves (medical and personal), requests for transfers, overall performance and departmental morale. All too often it is the worker bees that are blamed for poor performance when their leaders are the incompetent ones.
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If you liked this blog entry, try Self-Awareness at Work How Reacting to Emotional Triggers Affects Professional Performance and your Level of Emotional Intelligence (EI)
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