The other day I was reading a management magazine and I came across a term that really baffled me. Have you ever heard of ‘upward bullying’? I’ve heard of workplace bullying, workplace harassment and workplace violence and all of those, but ‘upward bullying’? So I read on. It talked about bullying tactics used by employees against their managers such as spreading workplace rumors, ignoring the opinions and views of managers and things like skipping meetings. I thought to myself as I was reading this that this sort of thing never happened to me. I would never allow such a thing to happen…or did I?
Looking back now I can remember one of our sales reps who tried this sort of thing. She would constantly miss our Monday morning sales meetings, disrupt it when she did turn up, constantly tried to pick a fight with me over sales figures of hers and many other types of annoying behavior. At the time I thought she was just being bitchy but I had no idea that it had a behavioral term associated with it. There you go. It must be a very common thing that’s happening in a lot of workplaces. Upward bullying is just another form of harassment or discrimination and it often goes unnoticed by other staff members as it’s a little more subtle than other forms of bullying. Often times the manager involved doesn’t say anything to his superiors as it could be seen a sign of weakness. However, what could cause someone to bully their manager?
A recent survey found that one of the biggest causes of upward bullying is organizational change. We have all gone through changes no matter what company we have worked for and coped really well but some don’t. And the way they deal with it is they might blame their manager for the changes and respond by bullying them in the manner which we spoke of before. Another reason for this type of behavior is related to envy. A person might be envious of your position and think that the promotion should have gone to them. I’ve had my share of that as I’m sure many of you have too.
So, what to do about it? As with all issues you have to deal with as a manager, you need to pull that person aside and find out what is going on with them. I had to do that quite a number of times with the woman I mentioned earlier and eventually got to the bottom of it all. She was just unhappy with her role in the company and wanted my job. Simple as that. Off course there’s probably no way in hell she would have got my job as she wasn’t suited for it at that time. It’s better to get things out in the open and discuss the problem than to let it fester into something that it shouldn’t. There is no shame in going to your manager and telling them what is going on. I’m sure they would have faced similar issues in their time and would be a good source of information and encouragement. Don’t be afraid to talk to them.
Bullying is a major issue and it can manifest in many forms as we have just discussed. It doesn’t discriminate against race, color, white collar or blue collar industries. Upward bullying is not something that’s discussed very much but obviously it’s there big time. The bottom line is that if it’s happening to you, don’t tolerate it. Do something positive about it as bullying is bullying and it should not be tolerated in any form at any workplace.
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hi Zack
sure, as long as there’s a link, I’m happy with that mate.
cheers
andrew b.
Hello could I use some of the material from this entry if I provide a link back to your site?
I agree with you
Hi Matt
Good to hear things are better with you. Like you, disciplinary action is the last thing I ever wanted to do but sometimes you have no choice. Keep up the good work Matt and keep standing up to those staff members who cause too much trouble. Well done!
Cheers
andrew b.
Andrew, it has been a while since my reply to your article. Since the occurences that brought me here thinngs have improved greatly. I stuck with it and low and behold the staff causing me the hassles stepped out of line too many times and I put them through disciplinary procedures! It was not the scenario I wanted but was without doubt the best thing to do. I have no doubt what is said about me outside of work but during work hours they are respectful, bordering friendly. This has been achieved by them realising if they push too hard they will get bitten.
I can’t thank you enough for the support and kind words.
Matt.
I searched for something completely different, but found your website! And have to say thanks. Nice read. Will come back.
Hello Matt
I’m sorry to hear you are having those issues at the office. Let me say first and foremost, quitting should be your last option as you have no doubt worked hard to get to where you are now. Dealing with people under you when they are jealous of your promotion, unfortunately that’s part of the job sometimes. It seems to me that you are more concerned about the other 3 managers you work with. I would suggest if you haven’t already, try and talk to them and find out why they are doing that. Usually when you confront people when they behave that way, they back down. If that fails, there is no shame in talking to your manager about what’s going on and see what he can suggest to do. It’s not a sign of weakness. Sometimes we have to realize that we don’t know everything and we need help. God knows I talked to my manager a lot about situations and no one can accuse me of being weak, then or now. That’s what they are there for.
And as for you questioning your not being cut out for the job…..if you weren’t, then you wouldn’t have got the promotion in the first place. A new position requires your learning new skills through seminars, training courses and the like. The bottom line Matt, don’t give up. Don’t let people bully you out of a position that you worked hard for. Maybe the other 3 are jealous of you because you are trying to make some changes for the better and they feel threatened because they haven’t been able to or just want to continue in their lazy ways. If at the end of it your manager doesn’t help and you have tried everything else, then think about finding a company that appreciates your efforts and move on.
I hope this helps Matt and please, let me know how it all goes. Feel free to email me at andrew@abettermanagingtip.com.
Cheers
Andrew B.
I have just stumbled across your article whilst trying to pinpoint what is happening to me in work. It reads all to familiar.
Although not new to the company I am relatively new to my job role.
I have always considered myself as an easy going person and a strong believer in self management to a degree. Never have I fallen out with or been disliked by anyone I have contact with in work.
So how do I find myself in a predicament where i’m googling upward bullying? Am I just too soft for Management?!
The staff causing me the problems are of an unskilled background. They, as you have mentioned, have all tried out for my job but been unsuccessful. Furthermore I am trying to instigate some changes into the workplace while the other 3 Managers are happy to plod on with the easy life.
As a result I am subjected to them purposefully trying to make me fail, not taking messages when i’m away from my desk, questioning anything I request, even not speaking to me for the duration of a shift.
I am now starting to question whether I am cut out for my job, I am tired and grouchy with my Wife, lacking the confidence I once had. To a certain extent i’m considering leaving the company/position or just taking the easy route of submissive management (no management really) that my colleagues have adopted.
Why is it that I feel approaching my manager is nothing but admission of failure? Surely this would only leave
the situation in work more awkward than it already is?
In reading this back myself my advice would be just leave! I know this is giving in as such but at what point does quality of life overcome pride.