I work in academe but I was unaware of workplace bullying until my friend, an employee of the federal government, committed suicide in 2005. Since then I have been an advocate for Healthy Workplace legislation.
I formed a group http://groups.google.com/group/connecticut-bullybusters/. Many of the people in the group, or people who won't join for fear of someone finding out but who have contacted me, are state employees and work in state community colleges or universities. They are faculty, staff, and sometimes students.
We have an obligation to look directly at this problem, as colleagues, citizens and workers. Even if it hasn't happened to us, it certainly could. Reading the stories of bullied people, hearing them at meetings, is almost unbearable because lives are shattered. I came to this blog because of a post on the New York Times blog for an article on Workplace Bullying. We must work in solidarity.
Post by anonymous
2 comments:
Strangely one of the many difficult things to achieve is solidarity.
I am not the only person who feels that they have been bullied in my university - yet when I spoke out no-one supported me - the animosity was breathtaking...
Aphra Behn
No one speaks out because they fear that if they do, they will be the next target.
It takes great courage to speak out.
But speak out, we must do!
And we must name names and point fingers, else speaking out will be like tossing a handful of sand into the desert.
Post a Comment