Mob Bullying

by Judy
(Calgary, Alberta, Canada)

I worked in a Project Management System Group for almost 9 years and witnessed "not so nice" treatment of employees. Most recently, a female manager was appointed in our department when the existing manager took a 6 month leave of absence. Almost instantly, one could see a good team environment diminished and replaced with the characteristics of the new manager who was known to be an office gossip, not trustworthy and manipulative. Team members were pitted against one another, back-stabbing was the newest game in town, productivity suffered, and this incompetent manager had the support of the Department Head and Human Resources.

I was subsequently let go before Christmas because I took a stand and would not support the victimization (bullying and harassment) of a junior employee. The team ostracized the junior employee as was required by the manager and department head. Later they started in on me and I was regularly blamed by the department head, for anything that went wrong in the team, even an anti-bullying document that was put up in the coffee room while I was on holiday. Alot of the story-making would happen behind my back by the new manager and the department head. My good work ethic was undermined by this manager who maligned me to all members of the team, work was taken away from me, eventually they isolated me. One employee told me how she was taken into a room and the manager and Department Head made up lies about me and attempted to coerce her into admitting to things I supposedly did. The Department Head did the same to me, but when I asked if the Manager could be present to owe up to her lies, he made excuses as to why she could not be present.

When the young employee and myself filed a complaint with Human Resources, absolutely nothing good came from it. As a matter of fact, this was to our detriment because the situation only got worse. I attempted to make an appointment with the Division Head (President), but he would not see me and I was honest in the employees survey about what was happening in our department. I signed my name to the document. No matter how hard I tried to bring about the necessary change for our group, nothing happened. I found out later that the harassment problem not only existed in our group but throughout the Division - at the senior level even in Human Resources.

Because of the tone set at the top, others in the system group were bullied, harassed and humiliated by the work leads/managers because they know this behavior is condoned by the Department Head and the Manager of Human Resources.