如何遏制职场暴力

Q168

职场上的排挤、欺凌和敌对会严重影响创造力。而这种情形在许多公司内普遍存在。如何遏制职场暴力？承认问题是第一步，文化建设则是关键。
你内心深处是否产生过一种恐惧感？比如在小学时，或者在新学年开始之前？或者，这种恐惧感会出现在每周一早上，你准备上班之前？

    对于有些人来说，这种恐惧感每天都存在。缺乏身体上的或者情感上的，或两方面的安全感，会阻碍创造力。但这种情况在许多公司内却普遍存在。

    关于当今职场人身暴力的统计数字可能会令你大吃一惊。据美国职业安全与健康管理局（U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration，OSHA）报告：“凶杀是造成工作场所中女性死亡的主要原因。”OSHA称，许多工作场所暴力案件并未被报道，但“每年约有200万美国工作者报告，自己遭受到工作场所暴力。”许多大公司纷纷采取安检措施，以防止武器进入工作场所，但许多公司非常容易受到大范围攻击或有针对性的攻击。

Ever get a feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach? The kind you might remember from grade school, maybe when you started a new academic year. Or perhaps it comes on Monday mornings as you dress for work.

    For some, that feeling is daily routine. That lack of feeling safe -- either physically, emotionally, or both -- takes its toll on creativity. And it is pervasive in too many corporate workplaces.

    The statistics on physical violence in today's workplaces may surprise you. "Homicide is the leading cause of death for women in the workplace," the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports. OSHA says that many cases of workplace violence go unreported, but that "nearly 2 million American workers report having been victims of workplace violence each year." While some large companies have screening to keep weapons out of the workplace, many businesses are completely vulnerable to mass or pointed attacks.

Q168

关于去年十二月发生在纽敦市的惨案，湾区非暴力沟通（Bay Area Nonviolent Communication）联合创始人米基•卡斯坦曾发表过专文，充分阐述了预防暴力的重要性。她说，如果我们能表现出对其他人的同情，帮助其他人感受到自身的重要性，就可以带来巨大的变化。

    当然，使用有形的暴力只是如今公司内敌对问题的一部分。《围攻》（Mobbing）一书的联合作者莫琳•达夫认为，无形的虐待也非常普遍。这种侵犯通常针对与众不同的人，可能造成严重的生理和心理创伤；但达夫认为，这种侵犯的后果往往却遭到公司的忽视。

    公司就是一个社区。笔者每年会接触来自数百家公司的人。有的工作场所非常友好；而有的则充满敌意。（顺便说一下，公司电话录音里关于企业使命的陈词滥调与内部员工友好相处之间没有任何直接关系。）有的同事非常友善，有的却不太友好。
Miki Kashtan, co-founder of Bay Area Nonviolent Communication, writing about December's Newtown tragedy, eloquently described the importance of violence prevention. Our capacity to exhibit compassion and help others feel like they matter can make a huge difference, she says.

    The use of physical force is, of course, just one part of the hostility problem at corporations today. Non-physical cruelty is prevalent, argues Maureen Duffy, co-author of the book Mobbing. This type of aggression, which is commonly targeted at those who are different, can lead to significant physical and psychological trauma; consequences that corporations too often ignore, Duffy says.

    Companies are communities. I speak with people at hundreds of firms every year. Some workplaces are friendly; others are not. (Platitudes about corporate mission on a company's telephone hold muzak don't correlate directly with courtesy, by the way.) And some people are friendly, and others aren't.

Q168

正如某些物种和环境一样，有的人在有害的氛围内会比其他人更容易受到伤害。心理学家、作家伊莱恩•阿伦曾描写过高度敏感的人群。他们可以给职场带来巨大的好处，但对于职场中的卑鄙行径或超负荷感受来说，他们的承受力却非常低。

    许多公司的董事会已经清醒地意识到了公司文化的重要性（有的董事会将公司文化作为监管职责的首要任务之一），但也有许多公司从来没有考虑过这个问题——或者只是偶尔在他们的脑海中闪现，比如在进行并购之前和并购过程中，需要对两家公司文化进行融合时。

    职场欺凌通常被视为一对一事件。而达夫认为，将职场欺凌的责任归因于个人所产生的问题在于，公司或其管理团队和董事会可以逃脱责任。

Just as with certain species and the environment, some people are more vulnerable to toxic atmospheres than others. Pyschologist and author Elaine Aron has written powerfully about highly sensitive people, who can provide huge benefits to a workplace but have extra-low tolerance for meanness or sensory overload.

    While some boards of directors are acutely aware of the importance of corporate culture (some rank it in the top few categories of their oversight responsibility), some never consider the issue at all -- or only sporadically, like before and during a merger when two company cultures combine.

    Bullying in workplaces is often viewed as a one-on-one event. But the problem with placing the blame on just one individual is it that it lets organizations, their management teams, and boards off the hook, says Duffy.

Q168

管理者们对于职场欺凌的说法可能非常熟悉，但对于达夫及其合著者伦恩•斯伯里创造的“围攻”这个词，人们却知之甚少。达夫说：“职场围攻是一个群体对某一名同事不分性别的骚扰。”围攻的目的是将一个人赶出某个部门或更大的组织，而所采取的方式通常是迫使其被解雇、休病假或辞职。不论围攻的目的是否达成，“这种通常情况下持续时间较长的、极具创伤性的经历”会使被围攻者蒙受屈辱，遭到弃用，“并会在经济、职业、健康和社会心理等方面造成巨大损失，”达夫说道。
While managers are familiar with the idea of bullying, the concept of "mobbing," a term coined by Duffy and her co-author Len Sperry, is less understood. "Workplace mobbing," Duffy says, is "nonsexual harassment of a coworker by a group." The purpose is to remove the individual from a particular unit or from the larger organization, which may occur through termination, medical leave, or quitting. Whether or not the group is successful in removing the individual, "this typically protracted traumatizing experience" often results in humiliation and degradation "with significant financial, career, health, and psychosocial losses," Duffy says.

Q168

虽然职场围攻极少被人提及，但这种现象却非常普遍。你或许亲身见证或经历过一些最常见的围攻：过度批评、人身攻击或贬低；传播未能得到纠正的虚假信息；来自一个交流圈的孤立或排挤等。

    《今日秀》（Today）节目主持安•克莉的遭遇便是一个典型的职场围攻案例——而这种事件能进入公众视野实属罕见。据《纽约时报》（New York Times）报道，“片场普遍存在的卑劣行径”，“搭档马特•劳尔的日益冷淡”，无礼的同事，羞辱性的滑稽动作，以及执行制片人吉姆•贝尔的恶毒言语，都是造成克莉创伤性经历的罪魁祸首。“克莉感觉，那些男人们在《今日秀》幕后形成的俱乐部般的氛围，从一开始就在伤害着她。她曾对自己的朋友们说，最后几个月简直是在用‘专业的’手法对我进行折磨。”

Although it's not often discussed, workplace mobbing is common. You've probably witnessed or experienced some of the common attributes of mobbing yourself: excessive criticism, personal attacks, or devaluing; the spreading of false information that doesn't get corrected; isolation or removal from communication loops.

    What happened to Ann Curry at the Today show is a classic case of mobbing -- and it's rare to have such a public view. "General meanness on the set," "the growing indifference of her co-host Matt Lauer," disrespectful co-workers, humiliating antics, and the cruelty of Jim Bell, her executive producer, who himself has since been booted to another role, all contributed to Curry's traumatic experience, the New York Times reported. "Curry felt that the boys' club atmosphere behind the scenes at Today undermined her from the start, and she told friends that her final months were a form of professional torture."

Q168

达夫认为：“职场围攻非常具有破坏性，因为很少有比社会排斥或排挤更严重的伤害。人们做出这种行为时，通常都以围攻对象不需要知道为借口，所以看起来一切都很正常。”然而事实却恰恰相反。遭到围攻的对象正在被团队抛弃。

    更严重的是，其他同事虽然并未与作恶者同流合污，但为了避免自己成为下一个目标，他们也可能会对被围攻对象敬而远之。（在裁员状况下，被裁撤的员工也可能经历这样的状况。）而这只会进一步加剧被围攻对象孤立无援的困境。
"Mobbing is devastating," Duffy says, because there are "few more basic injuries than social exclusion or ostracism. The behaviors are often done under the pretense the individual doesn't need to know, so it looks like business as usual." But the opposite is the case. The individual is being shunned.

    To add insult to injury, other coworkers who may be distinct from the perpetrators may also distance themselves because they don't want to be the next target. (This can also happen in layoff situations to individuals who are being let go.) This just adds to the level of isolation targeted individuals feel.

Q168

职场围攻是否会针对特定的人群？达夫表示，截至目前的调查结果显示，这种行为并没有特定目标，任何人都可能会遭到围攻。

    不过，她也表示，与公司主流截然不同的群体更有可能成为被围攻的对象。通常情况下，最出类拔萃的人往往会成为目标。有时候，人们会攻击有不同交流风格（直接 vs. 间接）的人，或经常直言不讳，敢于说出问题的人。而受害者可能具有不同性取向、性别、种族或国家背景。此外，她还表示，高敏感性也是一种差异。

  Does mobbing tend to get directed at certain kinds of individuals? Duffy says that, so far, findings on this are all over the map, and that it appears any personality profile can be mobbed.

    But groups are more likely to mob those who are different from the organization's norm, she says, and often, the best and brightest are targeted. Sometimes, the person attacked has a different communication style (direct vs. indirect) compared to others or is outspoken and willing to call out a problem. The person may have a different sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity, or national background from the others in the group. High sensitivity would be another a difference, she says.

Q168

那么，管理者和同事们又该如何避免职场围攻呢？达夫认为，第一步是要承认，围攻行为通常都是得到了公司心照不宣的或明确的允许。领导层和个人必须宣扬礼仪，解决公司内任何负面的交流圈。达夫认为，在充满关爱的环境中，人们更多关注交流的质量，进而可以避免围攻行为的发生。

    公司还可以培养一种“无流言”文化。达夫说道，许多公司都已经制定了无流言规定，要求员工在相互交流时关注公司的使命、任务和目标。达夫建议，公司制定反围攻和反欺凌政策，同时不断对管理者和员工进行教育。

What can managers and coworkers do to prevent mobbing? The first step, Duffy says, is to recognize that mobbing always involves the organization's consent, tacitly or explicity. Leadership and individuals must promote civility and address any negative communication loops in the organization. Caring environments, where individuals pay attention to the quality of communication, prevent mobbing, she says.

    Organizations can also promote a no-gossip culture. Some firms have instituted no-gossip rules, Duffy says, and ask employees to focus instead on their company's mission, tasks, and goals when they communicate with each other. Duffy suggests companies develop anti-mobbing and bullying policies, and educate managers and staff on an ongoing basis on these issues.

Q168

根据笔者的经验，围攻不仅仅会发生在公司的一线岗位。在许多公司的董事会，60岁左右的成年人之间也会发生围攻行为，特别出色的、敢于直言的董事可能会受到排斥、甚至被排挤出董事会。而人们对这方面的认识并不明确。不论是在哪个层面，公司都应该注意许多重要的迹象，例如高效的、富有创造力的员工流失等。

    达夫表示，最近，越来越多的员工就精神虐待、欺凌和围攻提起诉讼。而且，有人已经获得了巨额赔偿。去年，梅瑞迪斯•鲍彻起诉沃尔玛（Wal-Mart）精神虐待，最后法院判决沃尔玛向其支付150万美元。

    达夫说：“工作场所应该是在精神上安全的地方。这是工作者最基本的权利。”（财富中文网）

    Based on my experience, mobbing doesn't just occur in the corporate trenches. Adults in their 60s engage in mobbing in some boardrooms, where a particularly bright, outspoken

    director may be ostracized or pushed off the board. And awareness is low. At all levels, organizations need to pay attention to indicators like turnover of highly productive and creative people.

    But more employees are suing for emotional abuse, bullying, and mobbing, these days, Duffy says. Some are winning large awards. Meredith Boucher sued Wal-Mart (WMT) for emotional abuse and won a $1.5 million verdict in court last year.

    "Workplaces should be emotionally safe places," Duffy says. "It's a basic worker's right."