Out of a pickle and into the Pink!

Will you be wearing PINK tomorrow?

I don’t like pink. Outside a few choice pieces taking up some very prime real-estate in my closet, I don’t like or wear the color often… However, tomorrow,  in support of anti-bullying day in Canada (February 26), I will be sporting something pink – probably a lot of pink – perhaps even down to the flat sparkly Steve Madden shoes hiding amongst my stilettoes – not only to show support, but to more importantly assist in Amplifying the awareness of this ‘dirty little secret’ of the workforce.

Thinking about Bullying, the most common themes which come to mind are schools, children, sports teams; generally an adolescent environment. With cases in bullying and cyber bullying leading to a sharp increase of suicides and diagnosed depression for teens and pre-teens, and the mass media surrounding these pubescent public announcements on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter culminating in such a devastating event, a concentrated focus has been launched to hold accountable those guilty of participating in acts of bullying by the media, the authorities and by our communities.

But the question remains: At what age does bullying stop and what exactly is Workplace Bullying?

Why would we even talk about bullying as adults, outside of being a referee to our children when necessity dictates? We are mature! We are dignified and educated! We have morals and ethics and principles’ and we brandish them about through the same social venues as our kids, setting the scene to one-up each other with our self-boasting kindness and gratitude.  We have laws and policies and procedures, protected groups under the Human Rights Commission (Prohibited Grounds of Discrimination), and we live in a country where we are known to be polite and kind and quick to apologize... so why the need to promote anti-bullying awareness, especially in the work environment in Canada?

I can honestly say that this was a snapshot of my attitude, and I was genuinely shocked to recently find out that 40% of Canadian workers experience bullying on a weekly basis and more that 70% of workplace bullies are in a position of authority in an organization. Working in a Corporate environment for a number of years as a respected and contributing member to society, the thought of being bullied in any manner was so completely alien to me that the “required training” on respectful workplace practices seemed to be a time-wasting make-work project because it was a matter of good manners, golden rule application, politeness – common sense of a Corporate Environment in Canada. I am humbled by my ignorance!

Corporations and workplaces are not only expected to, but are required to make sure that specifically protected rights are just that – Protected. But what happens outside of the bounds of those protected rights filtering into a bullying scenario?

Not much as I unfortunately found out.

You see, after being in an Educated, Professional, Corporate environment for over 10-years, I found myself in quite the pickle and directly experienced workplace bullying from my direct manager which the Company supported and ultimately led to me severing ties on the basis of constructive termination.

Serious stuff!

Over the course of 4-months, my “new boss” had made coming to work a complete nightmare. I cannot even begin to describe the shock and anger I felt, the absolute helplessness of the situation due to lack of action of superiors when asked to get involved or to help with the conflict, the counteraction by Management to good-faith reporting and lack of seriousness from HR. The stress and panic felt during my short drive to work made me nauseous even though I knew the individual would not be there… the associated physical stress to my body including missing my period and the chronic tension headaches for days at a time, not to mention the personal emotional toll that also affected personal relationships with my family and friends was demoralizing on many levels. It was devastating to me that the company I worked for, which so proudly flaunted its Ethics and Principles, would not only ignore but support these types of actions by an individual in a position of authority when a situation actually arose.

I had never experienced anything close to what I was subjected to at that company and I had no idea how to react to it.

Interestingly enough, I found out that although OH&S covers Bullying in the Workplace, no other province in Canada has legislation for this except Quebec. And, while it is generally accepted that behavior which is unreasonable and offends or harms any person should not be tolerated, without a strong legal team and a lot of money behind you, it is quite an easy item to “sweep under the carpet” if a company chooses not to deal with the issue, documented or not.  Perhaps it is time that OH&S reviews this and implements something to protect these 40% of workers experiencing this type of treatment weekly in Alberta. How sad is it that to improve our fundamental treatment of people, a law needs to be implemented to make a difference…

Happily ensconced in a new position with a new company where this issue is taken very seriously hasn’t made this situation disappear for me. My experience will stick with me for the remainder of my career and while I have learned exponentially from it, sharing my experience stems from the desire to bring awareness to the issue, providing some helpful links to recognize what bullying is, how to react to it – what to do, who to see and what to document – and what options you have open to you if you see or experience Bullying in the workplace. As society becomes smaller through the use of technology, our sense of community feels as though it’s growing further apart and manners, courtesy and kindness declining, a sad result because of this.

I cannot change my experience, or the people, or how it affected me. But the effect has been finding my Voice and speaking out against Bullying -and hopefully, it will help someone at some point who experiences something similar. 

My question to you is: What part will you play? 

So back to wearing Pink… not my favorite color, but those prime real-estate stealing pieces in my closet are exceptional.. Tomorrow will be exceptional too.

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