This
is the final post in a series on workplace bullying. It is about the delicious
fantasies of revenge. Remember the old adage, “Revenge is a dish best served
cold.” This tells us that the best payback is the one that comes with planning.
Revenge can be sweet (and tempting!), but be careful. If you are in a position
to plan revenge, make sure that your scheme will not backfire and put you in an
even worse situation. Here are a few sweet revenge stories from a great
reference on workplace bullying entitled, The No Asshole Rule: Building a
Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't by Robert I. Sutton.
Mute
the Rant: A CEO described how a member of her board of directors routinely
insulted her, swore at her, and demeaned her efforts. She developed a bag of
tricks to protect her self-esteem. She avoided meeting him in person and,
instead, had phone calls with him. She would say hello, wait for him to start
ranting, then turn down the volume and work on something else. Every now and
then, she would check in, make some remark to indicate that she was on the
line, and then turn the volume down again and go back to her work. After about
30 minutes, he usually wore himself out, and she could then have a reasonable
conversation with him.
The
Chocolate Solution: A radio producer felt oppressed because her boss was
constantly stealing her food -- right off her desk. So she made some candy out
of Ex-Lax, the chocolate flavored laxative, and left it on her desk. As expected,
he ate them without permission and spent the afternoon dealing with the
consequences of his actions.
Luggage
Vacation: A writer was standing behind an irate passenger at the check-in line
at JFK. The passenger went on and on insulting the airline employee, but she
remained professional. When the jerk finally moved on, the writer moved up and
asked the airline employee how she could be so calm. Her words stuck forever in
his memory: "Oh, he's going to LA, but his luggage is going to Nairobi.” The
faint but unmistakable firmness in her smile made the writer realize, half with
a chill and half with a thrill, that she was not kidding.
Related Posts:
ADVICE: Workplace Bullying in Astronomy I
ADVICE: Workplace Bullying in Astronomy II
ADVICE: Responding to Workplace (and other) Bullies
Bullying: How It Affects You
For
information on this and other topics, please see CSWA's advice page.
Just found this posted article… and enjoyed it beginning with the title.
ReplyDeleteIncreased attention to all harassment matters benefits everyone, it is important for all organizations to realize that the real issue for them (not to say the moral and legal issues are not) retention.
Good people will not tolerate a bad environment.
Success in business hinges on communication; it must be incorporated into the ongoing best practices of all working relationships. In the world of business greater attention to maximizing the connection of human capital is essential for success. People are key… be they internal or external. It is vital that we listen and respond. It is about better customer care, regardless of who that customer is…