Atentie : Focus on behavior not on person

Harassment comes in many forms. It can include words, gestures, intimidation, inappropriate
comments, threats, and even physical violence. In general, harassment is any unwelcome
behavior that demeans, embarrasses, humiliates, annoys, alarms or verbally abuses a person.
(Definition from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety web site.)

Harassment may consist of:

* verbal abuse, threats, belittling or humiliating;
* physical gestures that intimidate or threaten;
* ostracism, isolation;
* excessive monitoring;
* other objectionable behavior designed to torment or abuse someone.

Other obvious bullying behaviours:

* Public humiliation
* Personal insults and name-calling
* Persistent criticism
* Spreading malicious rumours
* Freezing out, ignoring or excluding
* Constantly undervaluing effort.

Harassment is about how the behavior makes you feel, not why the other person is doing it.
Harassment is an attempt by one person to assert power over the other.

Harassment or "bullying" at work is about persistent personal abuse which humiliates and
demeans the individual. Sometimes it is called a personality clash, or an attitude problem. It is a
behavior that is too often condoned (trecut cu vederea) even if colleagues disapprove and it creates a
hostile, fearful environment.

"Not only would they not talk to me, but became aggressive and punitive with anyone
who did. I found out from others that they were spreading malicious rumours about me."

This employee felt alienated and abused by the behaviour of her colleagues and disheartened
by the inaction of others in the department. Although this behaviour may seem obvious, many
activities of the bullies were conducted in a subtle and devious manner. In addition to the cold
shoulder, her point of view was either not listened to or belittled. People whose confidence and self-
esteem have been exposed to subtle, devious harassment find it immensely difficult to confront the
bullies. It can also be difficult for others to identify such behaviour. Men and women enduring less
obvious bullying can feel confused, even paranoid, because of the unpredictability and irrationality
of the behaviour. They can use up emotional and mental resources trying to figure out what's going
on and how to defend themselves.
 Harassment or bullying often starts or intensifies during a period of change, such as a new
Chair or manager or a new colleague who is strong and competent. It is related to the way a person
has learned to influence or dominate people and to the values expressed by institutional practices.
People who are high achievers, are successful, have higher qualifications, are more efficient, have
superior social skills, have good looks, or are more creative are more likely to be the targets of
bullies. The root of bullying behaviour is often insecurity and personal envy of the targeted
individual.

With a group of people, there may be a "ringleader" with others in the workplace condoning
or engaging in similar behaviour. They may do so to keep safe or to stay out of trouble with the
leader. If you support the target, you may attract the same treatment.

Caracterizare: (UVic Study)

- Men and women who bully need to control others resulting in difficulty in trusting others
and sharing information. They see this as a loss of control. They blame everyone but
themselves using selective memories and twisting the truth to their own advantage. They can
have "dual" personalities, able to charm some and still be tyrannical with others. Because of
this, people being bullied have difficulty being believed by those who have been charmed.
- Over-monitoring and over-control is an intimidating tactic. The bully may be unaware of
their behavior and blind to its impact on others. Or, they may be attempting to gain personal
power and domination of others from intentionally aggressive and devious behaviour. The
harmful behavior can increase when the bully is under increased pressure to perform as their
sense of inadequacy increases.

If a person can maltreat another person(s), and be rewarded with increased status, then
something is wrong. It’s like using defective material to make an Armani. Nothing is wrong
with the design, the fabric is poor quality.

Signs of harassment:
1. At work:
- you feel controlled by another person at work
- everything your tormenter does to you is arbitrary and capricious, working a personal
agenda;
- others at work have been told to stop working, talking, or socializing with you;
- you are constantly feeling agitated and anxious, experiencing a sense of doom, waiting for
bad things to happen;
- everyone -- co-workers, senior bosses -- agrees (in person and orally) that your tormentor is a
jerk, but there is nothing they will do about it (and later, when you ask for their support, they
deny having agreed with you);

2. Outside work:
- your frustrated family demands that you to stop obsessing about work at home;
 - all your paid time off is used for "mental health breaks" from the misery;
- days off are spent exhausted and your desire to do anything is gone;
- you begin to believe that you provoked the workplace cruelty

Importance of preventing harassment in the workplace:

- Harassed employees waste between 10 to 52 % of their time at work dealing with, or

thinking about, their problem. They are also more likely to take sick leave due to stress
related illnesses. Add all that unproductive work time to the low workplace morale that often
accompanies workplace bullying, and you get a company that’s becoming less productive
every day!
- Having an anti-harassment policy in your workplace, and educating all employees about
harassment, is an essential step in eliminating it.
- Greater awareness will help people recognize when their own behavior may be harassing.
- Having a policy in place gives employees an avenue of communication if they have concerns
regarding harassment in the workplace.
- By letting people know that harassment will not be tolerated, a policy can improve morale,
and minimize the lost efficiency and lost profits caused by stress-related illness.

Ideally these policies should:

• Be developed by management and employees together.
• Apply to everyone in the organization.
• Include clear definitions of harassment with concrete examples.
• State the consequences of such behaviour
• Provide an outline for dealing with harassment complaints.
• Encourage employees to report incidences of harassment.
• Set up methods to protect the privacy of everyone involved in the complaint.
• Create procedures which increase cooperation and mutual support.

Harassment doesn’t just affect individuals. It creates negative work environments, stresses
employees, and, ultimately, lowers company productivity and profits. It is everyone’s responsibility
to ensure their workplace is a safe and comfortable environment for all employees.