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Victims and witnesses often stand up to bullying
MOST WORKPLACE bullies are dealt with by their employers, but by the time that happens the victims have usually moved on to another job, according to new research out of the United States.
Pamela Lutgen-Sandvik, an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, conducted four-hour interviews with 30 people who had either been victims or witnesses to workplace bullying in 30 different states. What she found is that, in nearly every case, the bullies were fired, demoted or removed from the situation in some way. But, by the time that happened, most of the victims she had spoken with had moved on to other organizations.
"Even though it feels like nothing is ever done to bullies in these organizations, in time something is done," she said.
Her study Take This Job and... Quitting and Other Forms of Resistance to Workplace Bullying, also found that victims aren't powerless to put a stop to the situation, and she was surprised at how often, and how vigorously, victims fought against their tormentors.
"What surprised me was how much and how long they fought back," said Lutgen-Sandvik. "They may have felt powerless, but they never stopped fighting back."
In fact, 27 of the 30 subjects she interviewed had taken some kind of action against bullying.
Victims take a stand by quitting
One of the ways these victims and witnesses took a stand against the bully,...