Workplace politics and “bully” bosses

Earlier this year I attended a seminar on wellness and the workplace and one panellist remarked that bullying is wide in workplaces. The panellist noted that bullying negatively affects many employees’ health and insinuated that bosses are often to blame. There was a lot of murmurs of approval from some attendants with one lady exclaiming: “Batho ba ba re tshwenya!” Uhu… Di reng di bosso?! There is no denying that emotional, verbal, psychological and even sexual abuse is common in workplaces. We spend a lot of time at work and naturally what happens at work affects you more than you can imagine: mentally, intellectually, physically and emotionally. A lot of stuff happens in the workplace, from the competition, jealousy, bickering, tiffs, ego and personality clashes, and even witchcraft and love affairs. Anyone would agree that some workplace happenings have the hallmarks of a television drama or soapy. I have dealt with the usual workplace dramas – the hate, sexism, fall-outs, misunderstandings but no major issues with bosses or colleagues. I am a busy chick; I have a life, and prefer to spend my time and energy on useful engagements. I won’t claim to be perfect but I am generally amiable and treat people the way they are and consciously toe the line to avoid personal run-ins. It is said that the ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence. At the end of the day, we all have different bottom lines but the success of the organisation should be a common interest; some of these other small things are honestly irrelevant. The one necessary skill for the workplace often overlooked is efficient communication and people skills. To get far, you have to be humble. But in reality, dealing with people is not always a walk in the park. As much as I concede that there are terrible bosses out there, there are horrid employees too. It can be a tall order for any boss who manages adults and has to address punctuality, productivity and efficiency. The differences in personality can create clashes and squabbles. It is in the realm of the workplace that I noticed that age has no correlation with maturity whatsoever! But when all is said and done, most of you would agree that professionalism in the workplace is crucial… and also avoid burning bridges, especially in a small society such as Botswana. There is also the perception that women make horrible bosses. I did my own personal survey and established that most people said they would prefer male bosses. How amusing! Gender bias runs deep. I find that such views are rooted in sexism. I have had two or three female supervisors and worked with women. While I won’t deny that some women have “issues”, people are people. I have come across men who also have “issues”; it is about the person. Almost everyone has a crazy boss story to share. There is a common saying that people leave bosses not jobs. I agree. It is unfortunate that some people tend to get too “excitable” when they are in positions of leadership and power and take advantage of their positions to “over assert” their powers. I have heard of some bosses who bully their juniors, overworking them, using them to get ahead and psychologically abusing them. Some apparently go as low as to send their subordinates on errands unrelated to work. Gatwe motho wa modimo o kgona go romiwa manyonyomane ka tea break. Akanya hela o kgabile ka marokgwe a CBD a kalelang, o ipoleletse gore wa go ijela bana strong a bo o romiwa legwinya… aaah!