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BULLYING IN THE WORK PLACE AND DYSPRAXIA
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What is bullying?
According to the industrial society in Donnellan et all( 1998)
“Bullying and intimidation on a regular and persistent basis that undermines the competence, effictiveness, confidence and integrity of the victim.
-for instance
• When someone attempts to control/manipulate others through fear;
• If an individual becomes the object of a groups unwelcome attentions;
• If any employee is persistently offensive to colleagues or customers.”
The purpose of bullying
This can be to hide inadequacy in management. The bigger the bully the more incompetent their management skills .Bullying diverts attention away from a person’s inadequacies and prevents the person from facing up to their inadequacies. In an insecure work environment this is how they get away with it.
According to Field in Donnellan (1986,p38)
“The serial bully is a compulsive liar, Jekyll and Hyde nature, short memory shows lacks empathy and conscience, shows no remorse, is emotionally flat, humorous, uncommunicative, unco-operative, evasive, deceptive, divisive, devious manipulative, aggressive, spiteful, vindictive a killjoy, doesn’t listen, can’t sustain mature adult conversation, denies everything. Can be disarmingly pleasant, is unable to see their effect on others, is selfish, insensitive, insecure, inadequate, immature, insincere, superficial, inconsistent, disruptive, incompetent – but always plausible.”
Reasons for being bullied
Any one can face bullying regardless of gender, race, sexuality or disability. A person living with dyspraxia and related ND can be an easy target for bullying, due to low self esteem and internalised oppression and the assumptions that can be made about them because they have a hidden disability. They may unwittingly break hidden unwritten rules in the work place or be seen as being different, or lazy. They may be a target for teasing because of difficulties with manual dexterity. This is why it is so important to raise awareness. It does not mean that we deserve to be bullied!
The other reasons a dyspraxic can be bullied are
• they are very good at their job and the bully is jealous
• Standing up for a bullied colleague,
• Unwittingly exposing incompetence and fraud
• having incorruptible high moral standards
Signs of bullying
• Repeatedly shouting or swearing in public or private
• Public humiliation
• Permanent criticism
• Personal insults and name calling
• Persecution through threats
• Persecution through fear
• Constantly undervaluing effort
• Dispensing unfair punishment out of the blue
• Increasing responsibility while decreasing authority
• Being overruled, ignored marginalised or excluded
Less Obvious Bullying behaviour
• Remove area of responsibility imposing of menial tasks
• Deliberately sabotaging impending work performance
• Constantly changing targets and work deadlines
• Withholding work-related information
• Setting individuals up to fail
• Setting unrealistic deadlines for an increased workload
• Setting tasks the target was never contracted to do.
Forms of Harassment
The institute of personnel gives the following information as to what is Considered Harassment and bullying
“Harassment and bullying can range from extremes such as violence less obvious forms like ignoring someone…. Forms include
• Physical contact
• Jokes, offensive language, gossip, slander sectarian songs and letters.
• Posters, graffiti, obscene gestures, flags bunting and emblems.
• Isolation or non co-operation and exclusion from social activities
• Coercion for sexual favours and pressure to participate in political/religious groups
• Intrusion by pestering, spying and stalking
Ten point survival plan
1. Make an appointment with your doctor and tell him/her what has happened to you at work.
2. Follow your doctors instructions and get signed off sick if necessary
3. If counselling is available at work, make an early appointment to talk through your experience.
4. If not available see if doctor has counsellor or can refer you to one. If not find one yourself.
5. Make a conscious effort to eat a well balanced diet
6. Learn to relax, take up relaxation classes.
7. Maintain contact with friends outside work. You will need a good listener (some on in the group may help).
8. Make time to enjoy the things you enjoy outside work.
9. Give yourself treats and keep your sense of humour.
10. Get in touch with the Andrea Adams trust or Tim Field trust for advice.
What Action should you take?
• Check that your job description matches the responsibilities you have been given.
• Keep a diary of all incidents which you consider to be bullying. Write down your feelings after each occurrence and your response.
• Keep copies of annual appraisals and job supervision, relating to your ability to do the job
• Try to get witnesses to the bullying and try to avoid being alone with the bully
• Ask colleagues to help you (unless they are joining in).
• If the bully has made disparaging claims against you send him/her a memo refuting them. Any reply will add to your evidence, as will refusal to respond
• Find out if your employer has a harassment policy. If it does you should not be forced to work with the bully. Once they find out you have made a complaint against them the stress could make your dyspraxia worse and affect your performance. (They can be worse when no witnesses are present once they find out or collude with their friends).
• Take the evidence to your trade union/ welfare officer/ Disablity Employment Advisor/Equal opportunities officer/health and safety Occupational health advisors or personnel officers. Emphasise the above point and that it not a ‘reasonable adjustment’ to be made to c work with the bully
• Keep complaints as objective as you can.
• Stand calm and firm and do not allow yourself to be a victim but to not take on the bully alone if you are afraid of b loosing control.
• Sick leavened not be a sign of weakness, it can be a strategy to take time over decisions about what to do next
• Make sure you keep those who you have asked informed about all developments.
Your legal Rights
According the Andrea Adams trust in Donnelson (1998) the following legal advice is given in regard to bullying and harassment.
Remaining in employment
An employee can remain in employment while making a claim for either personal injury, sex/ sexuality/race/Disability Discrimination, sexual/ racial/ disability harassment.
Leaving employment
In addition to the above an employee could claim either:
Constructive Dismissal, Unfair Dismissal or Personal injury.
Employers have a ‘duty of care’ to look after the health and safety of all of their employees, this is required by:
• Statute-The health and Safety at Work Act 1974
• Common Law- under the Law of Negligence
• Contract Law- it is an implied term in the contract of employment that that the employee will ensure the health safety and welfare and will ‘not act in any manner calculated or likely to destroy the relationship of trust and confidence which should exist between the employer and employee’.
• Bullying behaviour could be seen as a breach of these terms.
The Health and Safety Act deg fines ‘personal injury as any disease or impairment of a person’s physical or mental health in the workplace’ – bullying behaviour is in breach of this act.
Criminal Action
The Criminal Justice Public Order |Act of 1994-The offence of Intentional Harassment. This occurs if a person ‘with intent to cause a person harassment alarm or distress, uses threatening abusive behaviour or insulting behaviour, or displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening abusive or insulting, so that another person feels harassment, alarm and distress’.
Disability Discrimination act
According to J Taylor (2004,p18)
“Under Part 2 of the DDA there are several types of disability discrimination that are against the law :
• direct discrimination,
• disability-related discrimination,
• failure to make reasonable adjustments
• Victimisation.
• Harassment of disabled people
From October 2004, it will be against the law for an employer of any size to discriminate against a disabled person because of their disability.
This means that if it takes longer for you to learn parts of your job the employee should give you more time and extra training rather than refusing to teach you a new skill.”
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