Abuse at Work

This topic is of close persoanl interest to me, having seen many occasions where people have been recipients (I refuse to label them victims) of abuse.And I’ve been a recipient myself, on occasion.

Is Management Blind to Abuse?

Workplace abuse doesn’t just harm employees’ morale; it affects health, engagement, and productivity too. Most would like to think that leaders take reports of abuse seriously, but research paints a different picture. In a series of studies, researchers found that those who reported being victims of abuse were largely seen by their managers as the perpetrators of abuse. Disturbingly, employees flagged for abusive behaviour escaped this perception only when they had a close relationship with the manager or were high-performing.

Are All Industries Equal?

To widen the lens, the researchers moved beyond a single organisation and analysed data from a variety of sectors. Be it office workers, mechanics, nurses, or plumbers, the pattern persisted. Across the board, leaders seemed to be biased when evaluating incidents of abuse in their teams. So it’s not just isolated to one sector or another; this is an organisational issue that invites attention.

Can Victims Also Be Perpetrators?

Of course, it’s helpful to consider the limitations of the research. Could it be that the victims were also perpetrators? To rule this out, the researchers conducted further experiments. Profiles of fictitious employees were assessed by participants, some of whom were victims and others who weren’t. Results showed that even when victims had done nothing wrong, they were still blamed for the mistreatment they endured.

Abuse Affects Performance Ratings

The researchers then extended their investigation to the impact of abuse on performance evaluations. Shockingly, victims were perceived as less competent compared to their non-abused counterparts, irrespective of their actual performance. This is cause for concern as performance ratings influence career progression and financial remuneration.

How Can Organisations Do Better?

Rather than defaulting to training programmes, organisations can make immediate changes by inviting senior people to become more self-aware and vigilant in their decision-making processes. This requires actively challenging pre-existing biases and assumptions when dealing with reports or signs of abuse. Peer reviews or collective decision-making can also be used to limit individual biases and make the evaluation process more transparent and fair.

It’s equally important to establish a culture where employees feel safe to report abuse without fear of reprisal or being labelled as troublemakers. Transparent policies and procedures related to abuse benefit from being clearly communicated and consistently enforced.

Ultimately, our findings indicate a troubling trend where managers often misattribute blame in cases of abuse. Tackling this means adopting a more critical and skilled approach to conflict management and promoting an organisational culture that doesn’t tolerate abuse.