Workplace Bullying: Why Women Are Affected More

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Keywords: Workplace Bullying Institute, Zogby International, office conflict, Harvard Business School, bullying, sabotage, abuse, isolation, stress-related health issues, conflict resolution

It's a classic case of mean-girl syndrome, where cliques are formed and isolation sets in for anyone not included in the popular circle. But this is not the playground--it's the workplace. (Click here to read "The Drama of Being Bullied at Work.")

According to a study conducted last year by the Workplace Bullying Institute and Zogby International, an astounding 71 percent of office conflict cases are women bullying other women.

"I'm not at all surprised by the findings," says David Thomas, professor of business administration and chairman of the Organizational Behavior department at Harvard Business School. "If you think about the kind of bullying that goes on between [women], which is often more psychological, more subtle, more in the form of social putdowns, that's the kind of bullying that happens in the workplace."

In fact, women bully other women 2.5 times more frequently than they target men, preferring to use sabotage and abuse of authority as their forms of bullying. In addition, women who bully in the workplace prefer to do it behind closed doors and are slightly more likely than men to enlist the help of others to "gang up" on their targets.

"Sometimes it's a natural inclination to feel that I have more power, control, rights when I am someone who is a majority member," says Stephen Young, president of Insight Education Systems and former chief diversity officer for JPMorgan Chase, No. 13 on The 2008 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list.

But what if the isolation is reversed and the perpetrator suddenly becomes the victim?

"The punishment that the group can put on the bully is essentially to deprive that bully of interaction with the group, and that is often what will bring about a more compliant kind of behavior," says Thomas.

Known by the United Nations' International Labor Organization as the "silent epidemic," workplace bullying often goes unreported. But it is four times more prevalent than illegal, discriminatory harassment. Since it is not considered illegal, even when reported, employers rarely take action or, in some instances, can exacerbate the problem for the person being targeted.

"If I'm more powerful in terms of influence … I have more influence with the boss because the boss likes me better [or] I've been around longer; that gives me an element of power," says Young.

But why do more women bully?

"Sometimes gender and race cause people to treat others like the roles that they had traditionally been in as opposed to identifying specifically what their role is," says Young. "When you have been the recipient of treatment that denies you equal opportunity, sometimes people--not [just] women, but people--will overcompensate."

There are resolutions to these conflicts, however. Here are four ways to resolve office conflict:

At the first instance, the conflict should be addressed.

"When someone is exhibiting a bullying personality, it goes to something we call 'the art of inquiry,'" Young explains. "Asking questions puts you in a much more powerful position than making statements. Never allow someone else who has equal power to force a decision that goes against your best interest."

Find an intermediary.

If attempts at direct communication fail, you may need to find an intermediary, someone who can stay neutral and objective to the situation.

"The mistake we make is waiting so long to bring it to our manager and things have escalated, so by this point in time, you and this person are having words and arguments," states Thomas.

Managers aren't always allies.

Don't assume your manager will be willing to immediately mediate the conflict. Some managers choose to do nothing about it at all. In fact, 44 percent surveyed did nothing while 18 percent worsened the problem for the person being targeted. This is an indication that sometimes, depending on your manager's reaction when approached, it is better left for you to resolve.

"If your manager is not going to be an ally and you're not ready to escalate it, then you have to figure out how you isolate yourself from that individual so that you limit your interactions with them," says Thomas. "Other people become a buffer between you and them."

When all else fails …

Communication, asking questions and even bringing it to the attention of your manager could all be possible solutions to office conflict. However, 40 percent of the cases surveyed indicated that a resolution could not be reached and the target voluntarily left the organization--which may be the only solution for some.

"I think it gets to that point because the bully becomes very effective at ultimately having the victim feel isolated," says Thomas. "[It's] the same reason that when kids are bullied, they try to get out of going to school."

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