WORKPLACE HEALTH: a tyrant's henchmen invariably know what's expected of them and faithfully deliver. Fear is employed to discourage any resistance, writes Dr Mark Harrold.
It should be recognised that senior management is not the only level at which the rancid breed of bullies exists.
Workplace bullies can also establish themselves well down the ranks and make life hell for those senior to them.
The ultimate objective is, of course, to make their way through the ranks and wield that much sought-after power. And they will do anything in order to achieve that objective.
Once established in a position of power, the first step of the psychopathic bully is to promote a number of weak individuals beyond their level of competence to work immediately under them. It is often these people who perpetrate the bullying on behalf of the "leader".
They may be incapable of knowing any better or may do what is required to protect their own position.
Having insulated themselves with these incompetents, the bully goes to work on ensuring that their authority is never threatened by talented, hardworking and capable individuals. It is at this point that the various tactics are most evident.
One of the more obvious of these is to draw up a "complaints procedure" and call it a Dignity at Work charter or some similarly duplicitous title.
Legitimate complaints are then processed by the incompetents who were originally appointed by the bully. No prizes for guessing the outcome of these "investigations".
So employees in bullying organisations need to maintain a healthy scepticism about procedural issues dealing with their complaints.
Some other tactics of the bully include actively attempting to damage a person's reputation through malicious rumours; making unfounded allegations against the person which leads to "disciplinary" procedures (invariably conducted by the bully's lackeys); setting unreasonable tasks; inviting a person for an "informal" chat which turns into a tirade of threats and abuse; operating double standards (favoured staff members enjoy greater privileges and standing); isolating a person from colleagues; increasing responsibility while withholding authority (so you will be blamed if things wrong); setting up abusive surveillance systems and inconsistent application of rules. There are no depths to which workplace psychopaths will not descend. They will exploit any vulnerability evident in their targets.
If the person is seriously ill or has been recently bereaved, the workplace psychopath views this as an opportunity to go in for the kill.
Related to this would be the refusal to allow a person to take leave at times that are important to the individual such as children's school holidays. If a person is looking after a sick relative, they too can become the target of these psychopathic thugs.
It is useful to compare the tactics adopted by workplace bullies with those employed by the great tyrants in history.
From Saddam in Iraq to Amin in Uganda, a common tactic was to publicly murder the most respected member of their staff, to demonstrate their ultimate authority and to show what would happen to anyone who might question or threaten it.
While those tyrants physically murdered the best people, the workplace psychopath aims to destroy the character of respected individuals while, overtly at least, operating within the bounds of law. It is also worth noting that those with psychopathic bullying tendencies seem to be drawn to each other for mutual benefit. They construct networks of people with similar objectives being careful not to invade each other's turf. They draw upon their network to conduct an "independent" investigation when it looks as if matters may be getting out of hand.
The independent investigator usually knows exactly what is expected and invariably delivers. This networking by bullies can be far-reaching and in some instances the bullies find allies within union ranks.
Those seeking redress from a bullying situation should exercise extreme caution in choosing a union representative to assist them in their fight for justice. It has been internationally recognised that many unions have failed to adequately represent the interests of their individual members, preferring instead to maintain a cosy relationship with bullying regimes.
In adopting these various tactics, it is clear that workplace bullies usually have immense resources at their disposal to destroy a person's character while the target is isolated with little support. But that situation is beginning to change. Next week's article will address what the targets of bullies can do to fight back.
Dr Mark Harrold is a clinical psychologist, author , lecturer and broadcaster.