How workplace bullying went remote

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220819-how-workplace-bullying-went-remote

by trifit • 4 years ago

14 10 4 years ago

This expands the definition of "bullying" to include things like not inviting a co-worker to lunch with the rest of the group... while it could be a little rude, thats not bullying. Neither is a boss putting you on the spot in a zoom. Articles like this water down the definition of bullying so far that it makes the term meaningless.

You aren't entitled to love your job, your boss, your co-workers or the company and if you do they likely won't return the sentiment. They aren't your friends or your family and as long as you expect that from them you will be disappointed.

babycake5• 4 years ago

That's absolutely false. Bullying doesn't have to be just physical abuse, everything you listed definitely counts. While you don't have to be 'friends' with people at work, that's kind of irrelevant. Why not ask why this behavior is even acceptable in the first place, especially when work is supposed to be a professional environment?

withinboredom• 4 years ago

Honestly, I’d hate to be invited to lunch with everyone because I would feel like I had to say yes. So inviting me constantly would be annoying. Now if I told my boss I didn’t like to be invited to lunch and they kept doing it… might be that they just don’t like me. I wouldn’t think that I’m being “bullied,” but that maybe I need to get involved in some office politics and hang out with my boss more to earn some respect.

babycake5• 4 years ago

That could be considered harassment, yea. There was a dude who told his boss he didn't want a birthday party due to anxiety and his boss ignored him and just went ahead and did it anyway.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61141421

He got a 450$ million payout after the employee sued.

babycake5• 4 years ago

All these big publishers always parrot the same, 'just go to HR' as though that'll solve your problem. HR has always been the legal shield of the company; they exist to shield the company.

one option is to take the issue to HR, especially if the perpetrator is a boss. Although speaking up takes courage, Sharma advises people do it sooner rather than later “so that matters can be treated with a sense of urgency, and they don't impact your mental wellbeing in the long term”.

Yea, that's just gonna get you fired depending on how severe the accusations are, and whether the person being accused has clout within upper management. If your boss is friends with the big boss, guess whose ass HR is gonna can?

Sadly, every time these articles come out from these big publishers, none of them suggest worker organization. That's the best way to fight back against these toxic practices, look how much worker benefits we've gotten over the back of dead workers just by banding together and pushing back: fire exits, reduced work hours, no child labor, etc.

DiggyJohnson• 4 years ago

I know how blunt and cynical this sounds, but as someone that (for whatever reason) consumes a lot of British news and culture I often get the feeling that the media is writing content for an infantilized public.

Does anyone else agree and/or have a better way of phrasing this perspective?

babycake5• 4 years ago

I don't think people are dumb though. Most working class people see through the BS because they live it everyday. I'm not talking about just us, I'm talking retail, waiters, miners, etc. They've seen way more shit with their bosses and life experiences to know what's what.

I don't think it's infantilizing. I think since these major news sites are owned and backed by the rich, they have certain messages they want to push. And one idea they don't want people to know about is worker organization. The rich all have a vested interest to not mention it at all and instead want us to use their rigged process to resolve issues.

Here's an interesting video that shows every news station saying the exact same thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksb3KD6DfSI

How workplace bullying went remote

Related Stories