At the start of a career in something like TV, you’re keen, but you need to remember there are those who will exploit both how desperate you are to do well and your inexperience.
Read your job spec before you start
Typically, potential bullies will make fun of your qualifications and/or experience. Not standing your ground is tantamount to saying, “Yes, I accept I’m rubbish, and you can blame me for anything and everything that goes wrong.” Read your job spec before you start work so you know what is and isn’t your responsibility, and be ready to politely argue your suitability and your eagerness to learn.
What workplace bullies want is the same as what they wanted at school: status. Sure, they want power to abuse, but status is the foundation they want to build on. The BBC, the NHS, the Bank of England, the police, politics, the charity sector, faith organisations, academia, sports coaching: whatever their skills base, if someone wants to bully, there is a high-profile employer they’ll want to work for. Sure, there are bullies who work for your supermarket or local pub; but if they have the qualifications, it’s the high-profile employer they’ll aim at.
Just to be clear: 97% of the people I worked with at the BBC were lovely. It’s the tiny minority who will cause all the issues. Often, bullying is used to cover practices that are lazy or incompetent, or that breach regulations or even the law. And it’s the cover-up – people bullied out of raising concerns- that causes the scandal.
The worst exec producer I ever worked for bullied to cover up their incompetence. Things got so bad that a petition was circulating amongst the production. The only time I saw that happen. The bully’s strategy worked; they left the production with “grateful thanks for a fantastic job.” The BBC then gave them another major production on which they bullied to cover up their incompetence.
Bullies ‘grow up’ too
If you were bullied as a child, you are much more likely to be bullied as an adult. Just as the targets of bullying grow up, so do their bullies. Only now, not wanting to risk their careers, they devise ways to check whether you would make a good target.
Let me bully-proof you: I’ll make you aware of how bullies assess potential targets, and help you construct responses that can stop them in their tracks.
And join a trade union; they are great at teaching people how to navigate their workplace culture.
Nobody should have to learn this the hard way in their first job. Whether you are starting out, or you’ve just landed your dream job or promotion, or it’s someone you love who is vulnerable, get bully-proofed before anyone gets the chance to bully you in the workplace: https://tinyurl.com/5yjnkjjp
You won’t have to pay anything before the workshop; all I will ask for is an honest feedback form and a donation based on what you think the workshop was worth.
