Adult bullying: Is it happening to you?

Originally titled "Bullies in our midst," from the October 2007 issue of Canadian Living Magazine, on newsstands or click here to purchase online.

Kelly is an impressive woman: charming, tall, confident and a pleasure to be around. Her track record as a stellar and well-liked employee is impeccable. Kelly, 51, was promoted regularly throughout her career, and people value her opinion; former coworkers keep in touch and often turn to her for advice.

Three years ago, after successfully battling a serious illness, Kelly left a demanding position in the private sector in search of fewer deadlines and earlier nights. She accepted a management position at a government department, working indirectly with youth, because it appealed to her ethics. “The organization had a cause. I liked that,” she says.

Tension at the office
But almost immediately Kelly noticed something amiss. Employees rarely chatted, tension was in the air, and her staff soon began complaining to her about unrealistic deadlines or being shot down whenever they expressed ideas or concerns to management. Many were afraid they were going to lose their jobs because the feedback from the head boss – nicknamed Dragon Lady – was always negative. “They were being told things like, ‘Your work is falling behind; you must be lazy,’” says Kelly.

Then one morning the boss sauntered through Kelly’s department and complained that some of her staff weren’t there by 8:30. “Your productivity levels must be very low,” she declared. Kelly stuck up for her employees and explained that she had given them permission to come in at 9:30 or later when they had worked late the night before. Dragon Lady didn’t argue, so Kelly thought it was the end of that. She was wrong.

“All of a sudden my work schedule became a big problem,” says Kelly, who had negotiated flexible work hours when she was hired to avoid rush-hour traffic. Her boss started demanding that she arrive by 8:30. “It was brought up every week in meetings: Why was I not there earlier?”

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