Workplace Bullies

I know this is crazy, but check it out: http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/014/bullies.html

For those of you too lazy to read the above article, I will copy and paste some of the things I found pertinent in this article.

"Because bullies are cowards and are driven by deep-seated insecurities and fears of inadequacy, they intentionally wage a covert war against an organization's best employees - those who are highly-skilled, intelligent, creative, ethical, able to work well with others, and independent (who refuse to be subservient or controlled by others).3"

Manipulators:

Interested only in themselves.
Easily threatened and vindictive.
Experts at lying, deceiving and betraying.
Take credit for the work of others.
Never take responsibility for their own "errors."

To top it off ... read this part:

The Gatekeeper
Purposefully cuts the targeted person out of the communication loop.
Ignores the targeted individual or gives that person the "silent treatment."
Models isolation or exclusion of the targeted person for others.

Now if you know ANYTHING about my job, at all, you know this is exactly what I experience daily - without a physical barrier from a person who sits, literally, eighteen inches away. If you think all that negative energy is not affecting me, (nick r.) think about how it feels when your wife is angry at you and you are stuck in the car on a long drive. Uncomfortable, right?

Of course it is! If you have any level of sensitivity at all, you are perceptive of others' emotions. Which means, basically, that you can feel when someone is upset with you and that your body is receptive to their negative energy.

In other news, workplace bullying has the following side effects:

"[including but not limited to] damage to their self-esteem and confidence, anxiety, depression, gastrointestinal disorders, headaches, insomnia, exhaustion, poor concentration, and substance abuse.23"

Currently I am not protected under law, but soon I will be. Not to say that I will sue or anything stupid like that, but it certainly is making a serious case for a reduction of work hours if not medical leave.

We shall see how he responds to my three day work week request.