If we look closely at what gave birth to ‘ Diary of a WorkCoverVictim’ it’s about one person’s stand against the type of hostile and demeaning behaviours (bullying) that are so often displayed by mindless bureaucracy and profit seeking corporations. By extension, I would argue, it is an anti-bullying forum at its core.
Diary of a WorkCover Victim is an anti-bullying website
Injured workers know what it is like to be bullied by the system, which includes bosses, insurance agents, and a system that seems to support those doing the bullying. In fact, the media also seem to reinforce the lowly status of those caught up in the workers compensation system. Injured workers can’t seem to catch a break from anyone. Hopefully, however, that is changing.
The following article titled “Bullying becomes a hot topic in the US’ seems to reflect a growing intolerance of bullying in its various forms on a much larger scale. As an anti-bullying campaigner myself, this is good news. It also serves to reinforce the importance of sites like this.
Bullying is a major cause of stress and can leave anyone feeling hurt, angry, frightened, and even depressed. By learning about why some people bully and why others are bullied, you can help yourself or a loved one cope with bullying, and develop the resilience and self-confidence to overcome such trauma and have high esteem and channel your life to be in a harmonious place.
What drives a person to torment someone else? To make another’s life intolerable, until the bullied, dreading the thought of one more vicious attack can only wonder: When will it end? Will it ever end? And how will I survive?
Bullying and stress in the workplace
Chances are if you work with others, you’ll be bullied at some point in your career.
In the U.S., where the practice is being studied, an estimated 37% of workers, or about 54 million people, have been bullied at the office, or repeatedly mistreated in a health-harming way, according to a 2007 Zogby International survey. The percentage balloons to 49% of workers, 71.5 million people, when witnesses are included.
While hard to quantify, workplace bullying is clearly costly for employees as well as employers.
About 45% of individuals targeted by bullies at work suffer stress-related health problems, according to the Zogby survey. That could include cardiovascular problems, an impaired immune system, debilitating anxiety and even post-traumatic stress disorder, says Gary Namie director of the Workplace Bullying Institute and president of Work Doctor, a consulting firm that specializes in correcting and preventing workplace bullying.
Most of our stress doesn’t come from the work itself, but instead the people with whom we are involved. Create an awareness of how other people are making you feel, and if they aren’t treating you right then stand up for yourself or seek help.
Bullying and cyber-bullying in schools
Research shows that about 25 percent of kids in the United States experience bullying while even more of us are impacted by cyber-bullying. So what is bullying? Bullying is considered a repeated and intentional act of aggression where one or more people plan to harm or upset another person physically, verbally, or psychologically. While there are many reasons why bullies may be targeting you, the main reasons are usually your physical appearance or social standing within your peer group.
Bullying is repeated aggressive behavior that can be physical, verbal, or relational. Boys frequently bully using physical threats and actions, while girls are more likely to engage in verbal or relationship bullying. The results are similar in that victims of bullying are made to feel hurt, angry, afraid, helpless, hopeless, isolated, ashamed, and even guilty that the bullying is somehow their fault. Victims’ physical health is likely to suffer, and they are at a greater risk of developing mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, adult onset PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and even death. A recent study suggests found that up to 44% of suicides among 10- to 14-year-olds may be bullying-related.
The most destructive aspect of bullying lies in its repetition. Bullies are often relentless, bullying over and over again for unforgiving amounts of time. Victims of bullying often live in constant fear of where and when the bully will strike next and to what extent they will attack. This repetition has never been more visible what with our living in the era of technology and social media; cyber-bullying has made bullying even worse!
Bullying is often a learned behavior and many bullies can learn aggressive behavior at home. Research suggests that some kids and teens may become more aggressive by the amount of violent content the children are exposed to via TV, movies, or video games. Also, parents often can set a bad example for their kids through their own bullying behavior toward one another, their own children are even complete strangers.
Parents dealing with a bullying child should first educate their child about bullying. Your child may have difficulty reading social signs or may not understand how hurtful their behavior can be. Foster empathy by encouraging your child to look at their actions from the victim’s perspective. Remind your child that bullying can have legal consequences. Remember you are a model for your children. Kids learn from adults’ aggressive or mean-spirited behavior.
Paul Huljich, author of the forthcoming publication “Stress Pandemic” feels that stress plays a key factor in what can cause bullying. “By managing stress, we can begin to tackle the heart of what often can lead to children bullying each other.” Huljich states, “Teach your child positive ways to manage stress. Your child’s bullying may be an attempt at relieving stress, or your own stress, anxiety, or worry may be creating an unstable home environment. Exercise, Diet and Stress Reduction techniques are just a few of the ways for both kids and adults alike to let off steam and relieve stress.”
SOURCE www.stresspandemic.com
Bullying is a community issue. With children, parents, uncles, aunties, caring friends, neighbours must become involved with all aspects of teaching our kids appropriate behaviour. We expect parents, teachers or counselors to take all the responsibility, this is wrong. Correction doesnt need to be in lectures or courses. Just small simple statements showing our children we believe all people deserve respect and dignity. The victim and perpetrators. How many articles and how much literature is written that reveals we are products of our environments. Challenging our social norms is important. What are the messages our kids are being fed by social media? Does it show tolerance to those who are different to them? What is in the cartoons they sit to watch? Who challenges what they are seeing or do we use cartoons as a nanny. Watch a few and size them up to your moral standards. Adults know the reality of these programs, teach that reality to the children in your home. Including their friends. Why can’t our kid learn to understand we all come in different shapes, sizes and abilities. Developing character and moral courage to behave with tolerance has the same importance as learning to read and write. Then maybe the people they work with in years to come will appreciate our kids efforts and characters in being dynamic team builders instead of costly team destroyers.
I don;t think I’ve ever heard this issue articulated as well Trinny. We are all responsible for setting examples of human decency.
Thank you both, John & Trinny for your fabulous write-ups! Also re aworkcovervictimsdiary.com being an anti-bullying site, you are absolutely right and although I had not really thought about it, it is in fact purely about bullying – of injured workers (like myself) by our workcover insurance case manager, often their rehab providers and by our employers.
It’s a cycle of abuse. A pattern that has very well been established by our interaction with injured workers through this site. And it needs to stop!
But why are workcover case managers so often bullying and intimidating injured workers? Stress? I don’t think so. Pressure? Maybe… for the sake of profit and a personal $ bonus. That is probably the very reason why the bonus structure (and performance payments) within workcover agents (insurers) need to be urgently reviewed ! But that’s just my opinion….
It certainly does meet the well-established criteria of bullying. I think recognising it as such, is important.
The author of this new interesting website contacted us:
- check it out: http://www.bullyingandharassmentintheaps.com/index.html
Despite the indirect employment relationship – between insurance agent and injured worker – it still counts as an employment relationship, in my opinion. They essentially act as a go-between between employer and employee.
Despite anti-bullying policies being in place all across Australia for a number of years, very little seems to have been done to really address this issue seriously. For example, using international research, the Beyond Bullying Association, estimates that between 400,000 and two million Australians will be harassed at work annually, while 2.5 to 5 million will experience workplace harassment at some time during their career . This highlights just how irrational rationality has become in so many workplaces. The general drive to improve productivity as well as manage costs associated with bureaucratic efficiency seems to be having an opposite and detrimental impact on organisational productivity and people’s health and working lives. For example, the costs to the overall Australian economy associated with bullying and violence in has been previously estimated to cost between $17b and $36b per annum . Furthermore, a national survey of 1,518 people by Australian job search website CareerOne in 2007, found that 74 per cent of respondents said they had been bullied in the workplace at some time and 22 per cent of the survey respondents had ‘just quit’ their job rather than doing anything else about it . Another survey by recruitment firm Drake International of 850 Australian workers indicated that 25 per cent had been bullied in the previous six months , while more than 50 per cent said they had witnessed bullying. These figures suggest that bullying across many workplaces and industries is widespread and more often than not, do not get reported. Furthermore, according to Marchington, Grimshaw, Rubery, and Wilmott (2005) as the nature of work and employment continue to change in response to increased competition and decreased public protection, the potential for bullying will increase.
Makes me think about how much money is being spent by our government, workcover and the workcover insurer agents on the assessment and treatment of the so common “secondary psychological injuries” injured workers develop, once they are on workcover! Most injured workers become mentally ill (depression, PTSD ,anxiety etc) FROM the manner in which they are being treated by their employer and workcover case managers (and co). Just imagine how much money could be saved by treating injured workers with respect and thus by not further harming them. The treatment costs, the “assessment” costs (think all the IMEs psych we’re sent to) and the associated costs of compensation for secondary psych injuries!
I strongly believe that MIRACLES could be achieved if injured workers were treated like human beings…!!!