Month: January 2012

Bullying is not done exclusively in high schools. It has progressed to our colleges and universities. It has a slightly different name, it is called Workplace Bullying. No, it is not accepted as a legal issue where employees have access to processes to address their concerns. It may go on everyday in Washington state colleges and universities, often detected only by those employees who suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, as a result of this behavior. It is the same condition battered women experience in domestic violence incidents.

 As Harriet Swain in Workplace Bullying, being bullied at work is often subtle but persistent. He states, most academics do not realize what is happening until their health suffers or they have gone through disciplinary procedures. Are academics protected by unions and/or institutional policies that advocate for a hostile free environment? The testimony by an Olympic College academic and or employee on January 17, 2012 before the senate (Olympia, WA) was quite revealing. The statement was made that there was no action taken on the complaint the employee made. I wonder if the unions protect academics or maybe just full-time academics? I have yet to find the answer to this.

In a blog, Bullying of Academics in High Education, the author writes, “…The bullying of academics follows a pattern of horrendous, Orwellian elimination rituals, often hidden from the public. Despite the anti-bullying policies (often  token), bullying is rife across campuses, and the victims (targets) often pay a heavy price. “Nothing strengthens authority as much as silence.” Leonardo da Vinci – “All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men [or good women] do nothing.” Winston Churchill.” If academics do not recognize bullying in their workplace, they most probably are blind to it in the classroom or in virtual classrooms. Even worse is the idea that student employees working for the college or university in question may see this behavior in their role models at their place of work.

In a scholarly article, Faculty Experiences with Bullying in Higher Education, written by Loraleigh Keashly & Joel H. Neuman, the authors state, if someone wants to harm a student, academic or other employee obstructive behavior is one of the many responses. By impeding access to training and resources they can effectively impede the progress of the academic or student. The article continues to say, workplace aggression (even subtle aggression), bullying and mobbing are part of the academic landscape and can hinder institutional goals. They urge the academics in institutions to continue their research in this area of study. I would like to hope anyone reading this blog seriously considers the strength of their conclusions.

In the blog spot called the Work Doctor, the authors write that colleges are bully prone institutions.”The strong egos of academics and scientists coupled with hierarchical opportunities to crush new colleagues as well as a general acceptance of mistreatment for non-academic staff are all to blame.” I encourage anyone working in academia to read this blog site and heed the message. Robert Sutton’s #^%@$%@# seem to abound in these institutions of higher learning according to the material on the internet and in books on the subject. I have to admit, I am a bit concerned and most probably should be. The bottom line reads the faint of heart need not apply.

In last week’s blog I was re-thinking my internship, job, teaching…and I suppose I could go on and on. This week I want to tell you what a senior lady, wearing a head of grey hair and a sparkling smile, said to me while I was at work. When she came to the front desk to get information, she was wearing rose-colored sunglasses and stated I might need to get a pair. I told her I did not wear them because I wanted to see clearly what was going on around me. She then pulled them down slightly and said, “I can see what’s going on in black and white, while looking out of those glasses simply by pulling them down slightly.”

I got to thinking about what this lady was saying to me and decided she made a lot of sense. Employees today have fewer and fewer rights in the workplace. For example your employer can restrict your right to speak about non-work related issues, while in the workplace. They have the right to monitor your telephone calls, emails and internet posts. Many companies give employees phones with GPS and this means they can track where you are even when you’re not at work.

In his book, Nineteen Eighty-four, George Orwell wrote about a society where individuality and reason where “thoughtcrimes.” Big Brother was constantly watching the citizens of this totalitarian society. The people of this society were “… subordinated to a collective greater good.” Many workplaces could be defined as places where employers believe subordinating their employees for the “greater collective good” helps preserve the reputation of the company and its profit line. At least these are some of the justifications and arguments employers have made for firing employees who “make waves” or try to right wrongs. The view from the bottom of a company is often quite different from the view from the top down. However, employees can find themselves without a job or promotion if they say or do something their supervisor disagrees with…because they are “thoughtcrimes.” You have not conformed to the company way of thinking.

Let’s examine another legal action employers have at their disposal…workplace bullying. What is it? There is no universal definition. In What is workplace bullying, Rick Brenner wrote, ”… workplace bullying is any aggressive behavior, associated with work, and primarily intended to cause physical or psychological harm to others.” Notice the word “intended,” it means mens rea or having a guilty mind. Simply stated it means the intent was to cause harm. I think much of this behavior is subtle and it would be very difficult to prove it was intentional. Herein lies the problem faced by many in the workforce.

A bullying supervisor may try to defeat you one incident at a time. In a blog entitled, “Subtle bullies use manipulation instead of physical threats,” Ben Leichtling wrote, “…they want to convince you resistance is futile.They want you to suck up, acknowledge their turf and become a willing lackey in their clique.” He continues to say, “…they feed on your hesitations, fears and codes of polite behavior to enhance their control.”  The author says “…subtle bullies use manipulation instead of physical threats… your standards, priorities and interpretations are less important than theirs.” In the end, you have no choice but to succumb, because bullying in the workplace is not illegal. You have committed a  “thoughtcrime,” if you disagree with their interpretation of the workplace. You must never forget to put those rose-colored glasses on. Pulling them down a bit to see what really is taking place is not allowed.

In a blog by Donald Christiansen in IEEE-USA Today’s Engineer, the author writes, “…most experienced engineers agree that having a good boss is one of the most important aspect of one’s job. Your boss can serve not only as a professional colleague, mentor and leader, but often as a shield from the whims of an oppressive bureaucracy.” Now the question is how do you find these people? How do you interview to find people who do not fit Stanford Professor Robert Sutton’s description of a “#%&$!*”, as described in this bestseller, the No Asshole Rule? Let’s watch this video from Professor Sutton talking about what inspired the book, Good Boss, Bad Boss:

   There may be three ways to find a good boss. First, work as a temporary for the company or hire on as a low-level worker.  Secondly, if your lucky enough to get an interview…during your interview with the company you can ask questions that may give you a good look into the company culture. Or finally, you can do what Michael Surkan did by creating those podcasting shows (details in last blog.) I think I would try to keep those rose-colored glasses on though ( just slide them down a bit on your nose)! ( Rose Colored Glasses Blog on Blogging)

January is coming in as a dark and gloomy month of rain and snow. The weather is turning colder and the daylight is almost non-existent. Many people become depressed at this time of year, I suppose I am one of them. I had a serious error of judgment at work and earned the disappointment I feel about myself. Now I am re-thinking what course I am on and what my next move should be.

It has become quite clear to me I occasionally have failures of good judgment when I am experiencing high stress levels. I certainly have had some this month. My worst critic will always be myself. I should have known better and wonder if I sabotaged myself on purpose.

I am seriously questioning whether I should ever teach anyone, much less continue in the work field. I wish I could just walk away from the whole thing. But, walking away from self-disappointments never really solves the underlying problem. More on this later in the blog.

In my last blog, I stated I was meeting with Michael Surkan. I did meet with Michael who was involved in setting up what he calls a “podcast show.” When he was unemployed from a local company, he realized his resumes and job applications were not getting him to the right people. He thought most likely they were being set aside in a pile of other applications and/or resumes, without being read. He tried to think of a way to talk to key people in various companies and their hiring managers that was unique and innovative. He came up with an idea to send out invitations to be on his podcast show. He set about using Linkedin to find relevant people or groups of people and to make the initial contacts with them. He emailed the people on this list and set up an interview appointment in Skype to post on the website he created for this purpose. He uses Skype as a tool for interviewing his guests and makes a podcast of the interview, which he later edits.

After the shows, he compliments and thanks the people he interviews and gives them public kudos for their participation. By doing this he has made contacts with many key business people and established his network of resources. Eventually he found employment at a techy company in Redmond. Since that time, he has given a presentation at the Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens (MOSC). He has been a guest speaker in a class at Bellevue College. He uses two job connecting links that have generated interest from both groups: 1. Linkedin; and 2. Skype. In sum, to recap, he records the interviews on Skype and edits them before placing them on his website and gets his contacts from Linkedin. Apparently he has been quite successful.

At this point in time, I am hoping to complete my internship, get the modules built and manage a passing mark and five credits by the end of Winter quarter. I do not see how I would have the time or desire to use these search tools for finding and networking with potential employers. So at this time, I will not be using his application. If I did I would modify it a bit and work it into WordPress.

Having taken a good look at myself over the past day or two, I think that I need to focus on accomplishing my internship goals. At the moment, I do not think my prospects for being hired as an instructor are particularly good. But, I knew this before I took the project on. I have been extremely lucky as a student to have two top-notch people on my team: my coordinator of the internship Michael and my mentor Robin. I am certain by now Robin has seen my short comings and my strengths. She is the type of instructor that wants any project or student she “takes on” to succeed and goes that extra mile to give them the tools they need to do so. The very best characteristic Robin has, in my mind, is the fact that Robin knows how to relate to her students and knows how to get their best work from them! This I think is an art she has developed over years of teaching.

I think there are two things in life you cannot change, the company you work for (as a whole) and a male/female person who may be your intimate other.  However, students are changeable and are seeking to grow as people when they undertake a college experience. When I go back and read my earlier blogs, I see a lot of change. Yes, I get too personal in them as I try to sort out where I am at and where I want to go. I have made many mistakes and said far too much about some things I maybe should not have. However, I once had a supervisor tell me, “if you are not making mistakes, you are not doing anything.” How wise that statement was on her part.

My bottom line belief is students should be to allowed to make mistakes in a safe environment. If a potential employer reads my blogs and thinks because I have said some things he/she doesn’t want to hear or see in a potential employee, maybe that is not an employer I want to work for. I want to work for an employer who sees my strengths and wants to work on my weaknesses with me.

I want clear guidelines and to know what my supervisor’s expectations are in that job category. I don’t want them to assume I know what behaviors are okay and what  behaviors are not; what I am supposed to be doing or not, while on the clock. People from different cultures, ages groups and religions (etc.) have had different experiences and may not know what they can or cannot do in the workplace today or what is expected of them. The workplace is changing everyday with new rules and technologies. Clear guidelines are a must. Setting up common goals and an effective team to work together as a  unit is important as well. I want to know what I am supposed to be accomplishing along with my teammates. Finally, I want to have a supervisor I can sit down with and communicate with who wants to find solutions with me and who values me as a person with certain skills and a willingness to work problems out. I don’t want to feel like I am on the firing line and the guns are pointed at me. I don’t want to feel uncomfortable with my supervisor; and I would like to think he/she knows trust takes time. If you want me to trust you I need to see, feel and hear you are as good as your word. If I put my life in your hands will you protect me from harm as carefully as you would yourself and your children or loved ones?

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It has come and gone, the beginning of the first week of the quarter Winter, 2012. We served more students in a day than one would have thought possible at the Welcome and Information Center at Bellevue College. I came home each night exhausted! I have a video that helps you understand the behavior and mentality of today’s college students. Personally I love ’em! Wouldn’t it be nice if we could bottle all that energy?

It will be time this quarter to finish the hybrid course for Charlene. I have five modules completed and ready for her inspection. I have to work on my Haiku LMS entries and only have one module created so far. The last three weeks were spent on Christmas vacation and the preparation for the holidays, as well as focusing on learning my new job. The details are enough to make you think your taking Ph.d level graduate courses again! My brain was thoroughly drained by some of the chaos and confusion. All of this is beginning to clear, as I grow more proficient each day at work. If I did not enjoy the students, I probably would have given up this low paying job. The problem is, I absolutely enjoy working with them! They are like have many different copies of my own grandchildren.

By now everyone has read the article that made front page news on New Years Day. I read the comments on the article in the Seattle Times and had quite a few different reactions to the thinking of the contributors. All of them made me wonder why a course is not being offered in the Social Science division on New Ideas on Aging and Retirement. Our students today will need to make decisions they are not equipped to handle, as their parent age and decline. I have a course that I could develop quite easily; but so far, no real thought was given to my suggestions. I will keep working on trying to get a community college to offer a course like mine. I think it is timely and relevant.

Next week I will be meeting with a man named Michael Surkan who will be teaching me how to use “Podcasting” to help me in my search for teaching positions. I was given his blog address and name by the job counselor, Joan U., I work with at the MOSC, in Seattle. I am posting the address of the podcasting application for anyone who might be interested in this new way to network and reach out to potential employers and will enter another more informative blog on my experience with it: http://www.PracticalPodcasting.com. Michael’s blog address is:http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/10190 . I may not agree with his political leanings or his comments on the blog but I like his ideas.

For now, I am entering the new quarter with quite a bit on my plate. My husband will be out of work on February 3 and we are updating all of his information. Given his capabilities, I cannot understand why Boeing has rejected every application he has sent them. Could it be they are discriminating? He has an excellent work record, no matter where he goes. He never missed one day of work in the past 2 years while working at Physio Controls in Redmond. Still they are not hiring and the company most likely is sold, again. Anyway, we will be treading water this quarter. He made more money in the past two years than he did in the five years prior to this UI claim and is making less unemployment benefits this time around. Go figure! They tell him it is because of the federal money being cut, yet his base-line is lower. My crap detector is working, I think! It is telling me something else is going on here.