The Book

The book’s messages

Tough management and Workplace Bullying are not the same
Workplace Bullying is not a management ‘style’
New Zealand corporate culture and business effectiveness is harmed by Workplace Bullying as future talent is lost and minimised.
Healthy organisations are effective, profitable and fun.
Workplace Bullies can change and Targets can fight back - there are useful strategies for each
Organisations can be bully-free. A best practice company tells how they do it.

Summary

Target Stories

Targets (and their families) are suffering life long health and job effects as a result of being targeted by a Workplace Bully. The economic and emotional price that Targets pay is unacceptable in a civilised society in 2003. The fact that New Zealand is as bad, and possibly worse, than other western countries should encourage people to demand accountability for keeping workplace environments emotionally safe. This accountability rests fairly and squarely in the hands of senior management.

Role Of Organisations

The book provides Target accounts of how they were bullied in their respective workplaces and their own personal aftermaths of experience. While no names are mentioned to protect the Targets who have been extremely brave in coming forward, it is safe to assume that a number of major New Zealand companies and government departments are included in the Target stories.

These companies and government departments did nothing to support the Targets except, when pushed by good lawyers, pay substantive awards for silence. These employers have more often than not condoned the Workplace Bully by saying and doing nothing, or worse by promoting her/him. A very real cost of Workplace Bullying is the direct cost to organisations for increased bottom line expense arising from award settlements; replacement recruitment costs and temporary staff to cover sick and/or medical leave for stress. While some for profit companies are able to ‘lose’ this expense, government departments have no choice but to pass the cost back to the tax payer.

Andrea Needham addresses the seeming lack of accountability of senior management in actively addressing Workplace Bullying. In New Zealand, the amendment effective May 2003 of the 1992 Occupational Health and Safety Act ensures that employers are accountable for allowing toxic workplaces to exist - that is as long as the courts confirm that accountability.

This book provides enlightenment, information and assistance on Workplace Bullying in New Zealand. The subject is misunderstood and often confused with harassment or school yard bullying when the dynamics of Workplace Bullying are much more akin to those found in domestic violence.

Workplace Bullying is a workplace issue that the author believes contributes to New Zealand remaining on the back foot with regards to leadership talent development and retention. According to international research, smart people who are successful and good net-workers tend to be the primary Targets of a Workplace Bully. These people are then either terminated by the Workplace Bully or undermined to a compliance level that renders them ineffective. The phenomenon is often confused with tough management and a primary defence by naysayers is that people do not like tough management.

The Human Resources Business Issue

Workplace Bullying is the Human Resources issue internationally. Health and safety legislation world-wide is developing case law in the area of psychological harm caused by management. There are claims overseas that most harm is perpetrated by senior managers who are chronic Workplace Bullies.

The business world will also be interested to see how much a Workplace Bully can cost them. A case study follows a CEO trying to address the Workplace Bullying in TCL Limited.

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The Author

Andrea Needham - Author I am a New Zealand businesswoman who worked overseas for 25 years - the UK for 8 years and the US for 17 years. Since 1975, I have worked as a management consultant in human resources strategy, remuneration & performance management planning & development, and organisation development.

I have led Human Resources Teams in four different organisations in the US and New Zealand. I have also lead and/or participated in many project teams addressing people issues within a wide variety of organisations and industries.
After returning to New Zealand in 1996, I was surprised at the 'corporate culture' I encountered here and in particular the level of workplace bullying which seems endemic within many of our private and public organisations.

New Zealand is in a wonderful position to adopt the best leadership and management practices and does not need to continue the old European approach to management. To fulfil our global ambitions and take our place at the world economic table, New Zealand must aim to be among the best in leadership of people as well as in the finance and information fields. We need to drop the parochial, socio-economic class-driven management style and adopt more effective leadership structures, practices and people.

In 1994, while living in California, I began writing on corporate abuse. However, the word ‘abuse’ has become synonymous with abuse in Churches word wide. As I began my comprehensive research into the subject last year, I found that the international buzzword was Workplace Bullying. I am pleased to confirm that Ireland, United Kingdom, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales each have ongoing research, guidelines and/or legislation addressing workplace bullying. The advances of other countries and my personal observations prompted me to write a book on New Zealand corporate culture including workplace bullying.

The book focuses on identifying, publicising and preventing workplace bullying and highlighting the virtues, practices and outcomes of strong leadership.

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Reviews

The PPTA (Secondary Teachers Association) November 2003 issue of their newsletter contained the following book review. Reviewed by Richard Good

The phenomenon of workplace bullying is well known to field officers who deal with wuch cases with alarming regularity.

Though not focussed on schools perse, Andrea Needham's book thoroughly documents the very high cost of workplace bullying: both in terms of the lives of individuals and when calculating the output of organisations. The book's subtitle "The Costly Business Secret" aptly summarises the negative impact of this phenomenon.

The book first defines workplace bullying. It is not to be confused with schoolyard bullying, nor with mere harassment. The workplace bully targets the strong rather than the weak and his or her motives are envy, or the target's refusal to be subservient. The bully is usually the head of the organisation, or in a senior position.

Workplace bullying as defined by Needham consists of a focussed, systematic and clever range of subtle (often private) behaviours designed to attack the target's confidence and self-esteem. Bullying should not be confused with strong leadership. Only in the former is the element of fear an essential part.

Workplace Bullying provides a large and depressing range of case studies.
I can recognise similarities with situations I have been involved in, as can two teacher "targets" who have read the book. The examples indicate how common workplace bullying is, how largely unsympathetic senior management is when confronted with it, and how difficult it is to deal with. Needham notes that commonly given advice, such as, "just stand up to the bully," is ineffective, and many targets just give in, or move on. Nevertheless, assistance is possible. It is empowering for a target to know that it is not he or she who has the shortcomings, but rather it is the bully who is dysfunctional.
The book provides a strategy, which includes gathering data (there are two useful questionnaires) assembling a support team of colleagues, and seeking professional assistance, via counselling, or a profession aladvocate.

What the book does not suggest is that unions can and do assist. PPTA field officers have represented individuals: and what usually begins as a low-key intervention can have the ultimate recourse to the Health and Safety Act or to a personal grievance.

Field officers have also endeavoured on occasions to pursue the other goals advocated by the book: seeking to change, through self-knowledge, the behaviour of the bully. and seeking to change the culture of governance in an institution so that the expectation is clear that bullying will not be tolerated.

Nevertheless, what may be needed in New Zealand is a legislative framework to outlaw bullying behaviour: and an appendix to the book gives examples of overseas law. The book provides a list of further reading. with some useful websites (see, for instance the author's beyondbullying.co.nz)

This is recommended reading for one who might become involved a situation where there may be workplace bullying. The readership should include not only teachers. principals and boards. but also ERO. the Ministry of Education. the wider trade union movement. and all those involved in resolving workplace disputes.

The AAPNZ (Association of Administrative Professional NZ Inc) Nelson Group monthly newsletter in June 2004

Personally, this book was most helpful as it put things into perspective in a positive way and made the feel that it wasn't me. I never felt that I had to leave the job as I felt so confident and able although, I did wonder why they chose to employ "ME".

The bully had a "higher" position than me, but I had more experience with the different computer packages. I was simply competition / a threat to her position. "YOU are not to blame for the Bully's insecurities and behaviour towards you". After reading this book and becoming aware of the examples stated in the book you know that there is a way to help yourself. It's not a nice position to be in but "I am a better person for having to experience it".

I read this book four times while I had it and each time I felt better about myself and the situation that I had found I was in. With discreet help from Management the situation doesn't exist now.

This is an excellent highly recommended and essential self help must read book for anyone who feels harassed in any way at work.

Denise Barnfather (Public Health Registrar)

I have just finished reading your book which I procured yesterday! Well done; what a wonderful achievement at a time when it is very much needed. I am a medical doctor in Auckland. Thanks to writers like yourself and Tim Field, I am now very aware of bullies and why they seem to find some people irresistible. I have learnt a great deal and do my best to help out colleagues who have been targeted, and to spread the word safely. Andrea, please let me know if there is anything I could do to help. Your work can not fail to help achieve the aim of reducing WP bullying in NZ; thank-you again.

NZIM (New Zealand Institute of Management) "The Informer"

This timely book is a must read for every person in the workplace, especially CEOs and managers, and
including all team leaders and workplace employees. It is your duty to ensure that everyone in your workplace knows about and understands what is workplace bullying and the impact it has on individuals and organizations. While there are no percentages available, chances are bullying is occurring in your workplace and it is being ignored, denied or covered-up.

Typically a workplace bully uses positional power to identify, undermine and terminate a Target. It is an
ongoing process, that is, once a Target is terminated, another Target is identified and victimised, as Workplace Bullying is obsessive, compulsive and chronic behaviour.

As depicted in this book bullies are:

Chronic, opportunistic and situational
More prevalent in corporate and institutional structures
Male or female
Usually have the (indirect) support of the boss or CEO

There are links between workplace bullies, domestic violence and playground behaviours.
Bullying is condoned by an organisation(s) because it is focused on getting the (economic) results they want.
However the costs to the organisation also need to be taken into account. These include:

Increased turnover and attendant costs in recruitment and training
Increased legal fees and settlement costs
Increased costs in temporary staff
Lowered productivity (evidenced by absenteeism, low morale, stressful environment and emotional
and mental fatigue)
Turnover loss of institutional knowledge (also obvious to external customers)
New appointees mean lowered productivity in first 6 months
Reputation of the workplace (word gets out)

In Australia the cost of workplace bullying has been estimated at somewhere between $A6 - $A13 billion per annum.

Organisations typically aid and abet workplace bullies by not having in place processes and systems that protect all the employees. Workplace Bullying: The Costly Business Secret provides detailed descriptions ranging from how workplace bullies operate, the difference between assertive and aggressive behaviours and the costs to your organisation. While the first step is to acknowledge that this condition exists in your workplace, the task of confrontation and change can be difficult. A common cause is the lack of leadership
which enables such bullying practices to occur (see also article in this issue on The Impassioned Leader).
Safe processes and systems need to be established; they need to be role modeled by the leader ('every
organization is a shadow of its leader') and endorsed by all members of the work place, monitored by the
HR department and practiced by all. HR's role is to ensure that this happens. In the small workplace without
HR personnel an outside consultant or facilitator should be employed.

Good, practical advice abounds in this book, such as this important piece of advice directed to Targets:
document, document, document the evidence. There are also Questionnaires - including one on Are you a
Target? and The Brutal Boss. The book contains many contributions from Targets and these give a human
face to this very real and costly business secret. For business to succeed, workplace bullying needs to
be eliminated. This can be achieved by: developing an awareness and understanding of the problem;
workshops and articles (such as the author is currently engaged in); more definition and understanding of the
Amendment to the Health and Safety Act 1992 (the employer is accountable for addressing whatever
hazards exist in the workplace); and by enlightened leadership and accountable Human Resources support.

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