Thursday, August 19, 2010

The Bully in the Workplace

As entrepreneurs, we have to be aware of what’s going on in our organization. As we caught up in the day to day of running the business, it’s easy to sometimes miss cues of bullying in the workplace. I had not been following this story, but the article Did Depression or an Alleged Bully Boss Prompt Editor's Suicide? by Ray Sanchez certainly tells this story in vivid detail. Most of us, as we grow our companies, don’t have the luxury of a full-time HR staff, so we have to be particularly aware of what’s going on around us and do all that we can to stop bullying in our workplace. Unfortunately, I’ve seen too many cases where the entrepreneurial owner is the bully. If that’s the case, it’s up to the Board’s or top executives of the venture to rein the offending boss in. This is one of those things that just can’t be a part of the entrepreneurial experience.

1 comment:

  1. Very well put! I have been a part of the anti-bully movement for many years now and it is great to see it when a business person recognizes this problem for what it is. I encourage anyone that is not familiar with the horrors of workplace bullying to educate themselves and realize that it isn't just part of "business as usual." Too many people are being affected by health-harming bullying to the point of seeing no alternative but doing harm to themselves and/or others.

    Drew Mitchell
    Stop Workplace Bullies Now!

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