Employees Who Bully The Manager

When I think of a workplace bully, the first thing that springs to mind is a screaming manager or conniving co-worker. Rarely do I think of a subordinate terrorizing his/her boss. It can happen, though, and it does. A British Psychological Society Symposium found that 12% of all accusations of workplace bullying were directed at the employees the complainants managed.

The modus operandi of most subordinate bullies is to find out what their managers need to effectively perform their jobs and then withhold it. For example, the subordinate bully will ignore the manager's instructions, purposely miss deadlines, fail to deliver important messages to the manager, spread lies about the manager, etc.

More times than not, a targeted manager is new, whether to the company, to the department, or to the role of manager. Subordinate bullies are content with the status quo and don't want to chance that a new manager will change how things are done. So they work to chase the new manager away.

Putting a subordinate bully in his/her place requires the commitment of senior management. When a manager complains that he/she is being bullied by an employee, senior management must investigate the accusation; never pass it off as a behavior issue the manager must deal with by him/herself. If the charge has merit, have an individual at least two levels above the targeted manager confront the employee. Reason: Bullies respond to power and organizational pressure.

The senior manager must stress to the subordinate that his/her behavior will not be tolerated and the company won't hesitate to terminate for insubordination, if necessary. Never take a bully at his/her word; monitor to ensure a real change in behavior.

Good luck, stay legal, and keep the workplace bully free!