N. Nurses and other nice people. Workplace bullying

The caring and voluntary sectors are rife with serial bullies who find the endless supply of vulnerable clients and vulnerable workers irresistible. Many people in the caring professions have vulnerabilities (developed from suffering their own pain) which provide them with the high levels of empathy necessary for specialist client care; these vulnerabilities also mean that such people are ripe for control, manipulation and punishment which are favourite pursuits of the serial bully.   (from bullyonline)

Many of the caring sector workplaces are chronically understaffed and rely on agency casuals to fill shifts. This leaves the ongoing staff with the extra responsibility of constantly explaining procedures to new workers who have no commitment to the specific workplace.

They report being overworked, unsupported, and discouraged from providing the level of care that patients require. Anecdotally nurses say they believe that all too frequently 'accidents' happen due to the time constraints that are covered up to save 'the good reputation' of the facility.

"Caring" workplaces all too often don't care for their own employees adequately.
(Photo: East Side Gallery. Berlin. 2009)

Nurses who speak out are often bullied and given the least desirable shifts week after week. The situation is extremely demoralizing. Nurses go into the profession because they care, but are squeezed out; hurt, frustrated and angry. The financial and personal costs from bullying in the health care sector are  enormous.

Highly trained, competent and caring staff leave because they are so concerned at the short cuts that are being taken and the inadequate patient care. In neo-natal units nurses have discussed their concern at how babies and parents are treated, and in some cases they are also on the receiving end of highly emotional and aggressive parents with little or no support for their own suffering.

Nurses have discussed violence in operating theaters with doctors physically abusing junior (and not so junior) staff.  How dare anyone question their competence! Speaking out is considered to be undermining the department, with cases of malpractice going unreported for months, because staff are intimidated into keeping quiet.

Not only are nurses vulnerable due to the chronic understaffing, but become targets from management determined to cut costs by whatever means available. This has been noted in many other industries where 'the bottom line' holds more sway than professional service, all too often putting the consumers at risk.

Recently (April 2011) pilots at one of the Australian airlines complained about fatigue from long shifts and night flying. These were bluntly dismissed, with the pilots being told to "toughen up princesses ... you're tired and can't be bothered going to work". (Link here.) As a sometime passenger on long haul flights, I can confidently say I'd prefer that pilots are well rested before flying. I wonder about the culture in the industry, and whether profit or safety is a higher priority, particularly when the economy is stressed.

Northern New South Wales

Here tomorrow: Obstructive


I'd like to thank San over at Informed Sharing for her perceptive review of my blogs. I am not only honoured, but humbled that the information I share at traverselife and the fun I have with words at JumpingAground has been acknowledged so thoughtfully and generously. Thankyou San.


Click here to find out how to do a hyperlink signature.


There are many outstanding resources on line. A couple I find useful are Bullying. No way! an Australian resource for teachers and students, and a UK site Bully On Line. This is in no way an exhaustive list, and each country will no doubt have equally good or more relevant websites. If you're being bullied please seek advice from a professional health care practitioner experienced in this area.

Over at jumpingaground I'm spending the month Drabbling using alliteration, often with an environmental theme.
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M. Mind, Mates & Movement. Workplace bullying

The 3 M's - Mind, Mates & Movement

This is a variation on a post I wrote a while ago about the importance of the 3 M's.
Mind, Mates and Movement .

In other words  -

1. Look after your Mind
2. Remain in contact with good Mates 
3. Keep Moving. 

These three things are important in combatting the negative effects of the stress experienced as a direct result from serial bullying.

Many targets say they feel as if they are under siege, there’s a sense of fragility and insecurity in what had once seemed a relatively stable world. They may feel bone tired, drained, and  insignificant.  If the serial bully has been exposed, but has got off scott free and gone on to offend elsewhere there may be extreme frustration and possibly seething anger. (Some strategies for dealing with anger here)  Many targets of bullying experience stress related illnesses (here) including depression, sleep disorders and a form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Mind
A lot is known about the serious effects of bullying and the neurological damage that occurs. It's therefore important to take action to safeguard your mind at the earliest possible moment you become aware that bullying has entered your life.

Mindfulness and Meditation are worth exploring, and can be practiced wherever you happen to be. You don't need to belong to a group, and it's easy and achievable with many positive outcomes.

ACT: Acceptance Commitment Therapy. A number of studies have been conducted into the positive effects of ACT for such things as PTSD, (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) Depression etc. Many doctors have been pleased to find that some patients have better outcomes with meditation techniques such as this than with standard antidepressant medications. There are links on the ACT pages to reputable articles and information, including how to get started.

Of course it's important to seek appropriate medical advice if you're planning a change in diet, exercise or medication. I'm not qualified medical practitioner and every case is different.

Mates: Sharing the feeling of vulnerability with friends is important as is seeking professional help from a knowledgeable health care professional. It can be immensely reassuring to feel that you are not alone. Reaching out, expressing (no matter how imperfectly) to people who listen and understand, feeling part of a group, and to confess, “I feel crappy” is enormously benificial.

Friends help you navigate the stormy seas.  Painting by Terry Denton.

Movement:  It's important to maintain your physical health when you're under stress. Unfortunately it’s too easy to find reasons to avoid what will benefit us. We know that eating well is important, as is getting adequate sleep and exercise. But when you're under extreme stress, these things are easy to overlook (for many valid reasons) It can be extremely difficult to take the first step, but there's no need to run a marathon, start small, and make it achievable - if you can do some exercise with a mate all the better!

Western Australia - Margaret River region.

We hit the comfort foods, guzzle too much alcohol, and because of that, our sleep is more broken and we feel less inclined to exercise. We don't think as clearly because of all this and some decisions are not as good as they could be. The result: a vicious cycle that adds physical discomfort to the already unenviable emotional state.

The research into the importance of movement is compelling. We NEED to move! It's what we were designed to do and whilst it won't prevent or stop the bullying it can assist in reduce the effects of stress amazingly.

So, if nothing else, remember these three things:

1. Look after your mind

2. Keep in touch with your mates (and let them take care of you too)

3. Keep moving

The three M’s

Mind, Mates & Movement.

Animals can help too.

Here tomorrow: Nurses & other Nice people


There are many outstanding resources on line. A couple I find useful are Bullying. No way! an Australian resource for teachers and students, and a UK site Bully On Line. This is in no way an exhaustive list, and each country will no doubt have equally good or more relevant websites. If you're being bullied please seek advice from a professional health care practitioner experienced in this area.

Over at jumpingaground I'm spending the month Drabbling using alliteration, many with an environmental theme.

How to make a hyperlink signature here

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L. Lies. Workplace bullying.

Bullies will lie to protect themselves, openly, shamelessly, and without let up. Observing it, it's hard to believe others can't or wont, see through the sham. They'll twist and manipulate events and comments to suit themselves and make themselves look good and you look foolish.

They have the shameless ability to say one thing to the target then even within seconds contradict this to a superior and leave you in the lurch if it will make them appear better in that persons eyes. If you've naively taken the heat in any way, you won't be supported or thanked.

The bully chooses to deceive and lie, it has become a habit, but it is a choice. They are unwilling to accept responsibility for the consequences of their actions, and will lie to avoid acting like a responsible adult.

They are unable to "take it on the chin"and will avoid accountability even when paying lip service to superiors.

Serial bullies pretend to be golden
but they manipulate events to
suit their own ends.

The glibness can be breathtaking the "yes of course I apologise and I can see where I acted inappropriately, it'll never happen again" may be said at an investigation. Yet minutes later this same person speaks scathingly about the incompetence of the investigators, calling them wicked witch-hunters and speaking of highly competent professionals with derisive, belittling comments. Scornful trivializing comments are made for months or years after a formal investigation - about those who investigated, as well those who gave evidence to attempt to expose the serial bully.

They will use an array of strategies to avoid accountability, possibly claiming that the 'disagreement' was simply an insignificant, trivial inability to see eye to eye, a mere personality clash, of which they are innocent in all ways. However, when one person lies and discredits another,  it is bullying, not a misunderstanding or personality clash. Bullying is the persistent, malicious undermining and vile behaviour of a person unable to hold a mature, rational discussion. The bully may hold resentments for years, and refer to wrongdoings against them ad-nauseum. They have such a desperate need to play the victim and avoid accountability that they have difficulty letting go when they fear they have been exposed.


Here tomorrow: Mind, Mates & Movement
Over at JumpingAground - A celebration - my 1st blogiversary!

Click here to find out how to do a hyperlink signature

There are many outstanding resources on line. A couple I find useful are Bullying. No way! an Australian resource for teachers and students, and a UK site Bully On Line. This is in no way an exhaustive list, and each country will no doubt have equally good or more relevant websites.

Over at jumpingaground I'm spending the month Drabbling using alliteration, often with an environmental related theme.

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K. Known causes - Bullying

Many bullies lack a secure sense of their own worth. There are many causes of their poor self esteem which may include the following (this isn't an exhaustive list):

• Undiagnosed or unsupported learning difficulties with inadequate school or home support
• May have been ridiculed for experiencing extreme frustration when seemingly easy things like reading and writing were inaccessible to them
• May have been the butt of jokes and jeering, being called a dunce or dumb, belittled and made to stand in the corner till they 'got it right'
• There appears to be no prospect of improvement, (which unfortunately is probably accurate due to inadequate teacher training and funding)
• May have gone through early years at school thinking something was 'wrong' with them ("everyone else can do this spelling thing, what's wrong with me?")
• May eventually lash out at being pushed through the schooling system without adequate support
• Bewildered, hurt, insecure - for whatever reason - lacking hope

Some children are in the way at home, and experience relentless psychological bullying and way of life that is hard to comprehend when you experienced a loving nurturing childhood.

• Copycat bullying may occur where a child is raised in a violent household (However, it doesn't always happen, and it isn't causal).

• Some children are trained by parents from childhood to be bullies. This is hard to believe, but does happen.

• Some children experience abuse and neglect from babyhood by parents who desperately needed hands on support. The parents may have drug and alcohol issues, acquired brain injuries, low IQ etc. Whatever the cause, blaming them for poor parenting skills and not providing the adequate, ongoing support they need is reprehensible.

IF these things were tackled proactively, courageously and intelligently it would lead to increased self esteem, and a decrease in aggression in many potential bullies.

The bully may have felt insignificant or faceless.

Sociopaths and psychopaths are a different breed entirely. I'll discuss them in - S: sociopaths.

Here tomorrow:  Lies (and a CELEBRATION over at jumpingaground.)


There are many outstanding resources on line. A couple I find useful are Bullying. No way! an Australian resource for teachers and students, and a UK site Bully On Line. This is in no way an exhaustive list, and each country will no doubt have equally good or more relevant websites. If you're being bullied please seek advice from a professional health care practitioner experienced in this area.


Click here to find out how to do a hyperlink signature

Over at jumpingaground I'm spending the month Drabbling using alliteration, mostly with a climate related theme.
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J. Journal - Bullying

This post is for the letter J in the A-Z Blogging Challenge 2011. See link in sidebar.

Don't underestimate the importance of keeping a journal as soon as you suspect you may be the target of a bully.

Expect all your allegations to be denied vehemently, for your character and conduct to be called into question, for everything you say to be twisted and manipulated to make it appear you are the bully and are victimizing the actual bully. Bullies are devious, malicious, undermining and not to be trusted to act like ordinary people.

You need hard evidence of the many seemingly insignificant events, comments and actions. Each may appear trivial on its own, but in an investigation there needs to be evidence of the pattern of persistent, repeated comments and events to see the big picture.

Sometimes it can seem that you're being crushed by the need to gather evidence.

For some serial bullying offenders evidence of their abuse of different targets may go back many, many years. Each target may have felt that what happened could have been a one off occurrence and didn't warrant a formal complaint, or has been encouraged not to make a formal complaint because the offender is being protected by an accomplice.  A complaint may bring disrepute on the organisation - think of all the organisations who cover up for bullies and sexual predators for fear of ruining their good reputation. Go above them and ensure it is on record - it's not easy, and you may need support to do this. When everything is accumulated, a very different picture emerges, the person will be seen to be sneaky, vile serial offender.

Some messages make
you feel dreadful

Keep ALL emails, text messages and voice mail - especially when it is so underhanded and vicious it makes you want to vomit and get rid of it from your life immediately. Unfortunately a lot of evidence is removed by the target because they feel so sickened and disgusted by the comments.

Keep everything off site as you can expect your personal effects to be gone through and tampered with, removed or 'doctored'. Remember you're not dealing with someone with the same moral values as you might expect in a normal situation. A normal person doesn't need to bully others.

The bully is two-faced and will attempt to play one person or group off against another, they are amazingly good at this, and you may question how someone you thought was perceptive has been conned by such a sly snake.

In your journal, keep note of comments, dates, times and all instances of bullying. If possible have others verify your entries; although this is not essential, it can add weight to your case.

You will need to gather evidence (I can't emphasise this enough) talk about what is happening with people you trust, see if they've observed or experienced untoward events, if they have, encourage them to report these to any investigation. Even then it may not be enough.

It's helpful to have the support of strong people around you,
who are prepared to stand tall.

Here tomorrow: Known triggers


There are many outstanding resources on line. A couple I find useful are Bullying. No way! an Australian resource for teachers and students, and a UK site Bully On Line. This is in no way an exhaustive list, and each country will no doubt have equally good or more relevant websites. If you're being bullied please seek advice from a professional health care practitioner experienced in this area.


Click here to find out how to do a hyperlink signature

Over at jumpingaground I'm spending the month Drabbling using alliteration, mostly with an environmental theme.
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I: International Students (and others). Bullying.

International Students (and others) are vulnerable to bullying in a number of areas. In general they have little idea of the expectations, laws, responsibilities and rights they can expect in their host country when they seek part time work to support themselves.

Employment conditions in the new country may include a minimum wage, paid annual leave for full time or part time employees, carer's leave, parental leave, freedom to join an industrial union or the right not to be sacked unlawfully. If you don't know about this, your rights at work could be abused by a predatory employer.

Unfortunately, some employers are unscrupulous and prey on new arrivals, convincing them that conditions are the same or worse than in their homeland.

Misunderstandings can also lead to a perception of being bullied when the dominant culture is not understood or doesn't live up to the myth. For example, Australians have a reputation for being extremely laid back, but has one of the highest populations in the world working more than 50 hours per week. Many international students are surprised that reality doesn't fit the myth.

Prior to the global financial crisis, 38% of Australians didn't take their annual leave compared to 13% of Germans. I suspect that figure has increased over the last year or so with more people feeling insecure in their jobs due to the overall economic downturn. People who are unable to change jobs easily are also more vulnerable to being bullied.

Employers may often observe other religious holidays through negotiation, but new arrivals are sometimes not aware that this needs to be discussed prior to an event, and not just take the day/s off. New arrivals have reported they believe they are being bullied when they have their pay docked for taking time off without negotiation.

Unscrupulous employers may also encourage students to accept cash payments - this doesn't go down well with the Taxation Department and may result in being paid less than the award wage. This is a form of abuse.

Some jobs are advertised on a regular basis. Beware! There is a reason for this which may have to do with either appalling conditions or a bullying boss.

There have been instances of newly arrived female students being targeted by men from their homeland. Some wait at the airports for incoming flights at the start of semester, meeting the girls as they disembark. Pleased to be met by a "friendly" person from their homeland who offers to help them negotiate the new country they may become victims of serial abuse and bullying...

Interviews: There are some vile brutes (men and women) who delight in belittling interviewees. They are scornful of the application, make degrading, intrusive and offensive comments and are proud to 'toughen them up for the real world'. These serial bullies have a new target in each interview, and do untold damage particularly to young people who go into the interview bright eyed and bushy tailed only to emerge crushed beyond belief.

One brute phoned the candidate after the interview to discuss how she could have improved her performance in the interview. He then proceeded to criticise her clothing in none too complimentary ways. The young lady wore a tailored outfit which wasn't a designer brand - she was a student after all!  There was no discussion of her suitability for the job, or her competence in answering his questions.

International students may have a lot of pressures on them from home. They're in a foreign country and many are expected to receive an education to enable them to get a 'good' job that will support their family when they return. Unfortunately the employers who prey on students can undermine not only their studies but their confidence which can have a negative impact both in the host country and on their return.

Here tomorrow: Journal


Click here to find out how to do a hyperlink signature


There are many outstanding resources on line. A couple I find useful are Bullying. No way! an Australian resource for teachers and students, and a UK site Bully On Line. This is in no way an exhaustive list, and each country will no doubt have equally good or more relevant websites. If you're being bullied please seek advice from a professional health care practitioner experienced in this area.

Over at jumpingaground I'm spending the month Drabbling using alliteration, mostly with a climate related theme.
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H: Harassment & Health - Bullying

Harassment covers a wide range of offensive behaviour. It is commonly understood as behaviour intended to disturb or upset, In the legal sense, it is behaviour which is found threatening or disturbing. Sexual harassment refers to persistent and unwanted sexual advances, typically in the workplace, where the consequences of refusing are potentially very disadvantageous to the victim. (Wikipedia) 

The bully will often humiliate the target, sometimes publicly. I'm sure each country has their own devastating cases, so I won't go into local details. Enough to say the consequences of bullying can be fatal.

Being bullied is like feeling
you're inside a cage
with no means of escape.

Health: Serial bullying is known to have long term affects on your health and it has been hypothesised that the result of long term stress may lead to brain damage. Targets may take increased sick leave, become forgetful, hyper-vigilant, lose enthusiasm for life in general, become confused and lack motivation.

Sleep may become extremely broken with nightmares becoming frequent. Constant fatigue is the result, leading to lack of reserves when ill-health strikes. Flashbacks can occur resulting in panic attacks. There may be a feeling of having been betrayed, leaving the bullied person with feelings of worthlessness and vulnerability.

Employers who encourage, expect or tolerate stressful (or bullying) regimes where employees have little control over their environment (such as police, military, emergency services etc) or where victims are blamed rather than supported are contributing to the poor health of its workforce.  As I mentioned previously they may be violating the right of workers to a safe workplace.

It doesn't help to "kick 'em while they're down"

Legislation was introduced in Australia this week (April 2011) to tackle the problem and those found guilty could face jail. News article here.

In the same week, the Australian defence forces have another reported incident of serious bullying of a female recruit, and a teacher was withdrawn from class for abusing children in his class.

I wonder how many schools that teacher has been in, and how many covered up and simply moved him on rather than take appropriate action. How many parents didn't listen or believe their child? How many parents are intimidated by the education system and lack the confidence to complain? How many parents who find the courage and strength to complain are told "We'll take care of this. Trust us"? ... and nothing happens.

The Lucky Country?
Or a place that needs to tackle some serious endemic problems

Here tomorrow: Intimidation & International Students


How to do a hyperlink signature here


There are many outstanding resources on line. A couple I find useful are Bullying. No way! an Australian resource for teachers and students, and a UK site Bully On Line. This is in no way an exhaustive list, and each country will no doubt have equally good or more relevant websites. If you're being bullied please seek advice from a professional health care practitioner experienced in this area.

Over at jumpingaground I'm spending the month Drabbling using alliteration, mostly with a climate related theme.
.