Administrative Assistant's Update

JANUARY 2019 4 er had been bullied on the job. Even when bullying incidents were reported to management, human resources or others, only 35 per cent of employers took action. But when employers responded to complaints, they dealt effectively with the bullying problem, according to the respondents. Lower the reporting barriers "There needs to be more aware - ness of how to report bullying in the workplace and more acceptance of [the filing of] those reports," says Forum president Lorne Bozinoff. "Not enough is being done to make people feel comfortable about reporting it. We have to look at lowering the barriers to reporting it [bullying]." In November, speaking at Vancou- ver's Public Salon speaker series, Pel- letier recounted his own experience, early in his career, with a boss who denigrated his staff with intimidating behaviour and threats to fire them. "I thought it would get better but it didn't; it got worse," he says. Pelletier says he and his co-workers feared reporting the bully's behav- iour, an omission that inspired him to switch careers and become a consul- tant to individuals and companies on how to combat workplace bullying. Addressing the understandable fear of taking on a bully, he identifies several risk-free strategies. One, he says, is "knowing what to do when," which could mean delay- ing a visit to human resources. Deep documentation essential If presented with one incident that may or may not be well documented, human resources officials could be understandably reluctant to trigger immediate action against an estab- lished senior manager seen as a major asset to the organization. However, when presented with well-documented evidence from mul- tiple sources about objectionable be- haviour by a top official, the employer may have no choice but to address the problem. He emphasizes that his strategy to wait and gather evidence does not apply if the admin is a victim of sexual harassment or assault that should be reported immediately to supervisors and legal authorities. As a preventive measure, Pelletier encourages admins and others in an organization to step up as "workplace respect leaders" who promote compa - ny-wide rules and practices that foster a collegial work environment. 'We don't do that here' "Anyone who ignores the rules is told 'we don't do that here,'" he says. "Bullies don't know what to do when they see a wall of consistent respectful behaviour." That collegial approach can also be used when one individual becomes the target of a bully. Instead of being a bystander, Pelletier says, "we should support each other and act as a team." Standing together, he says, reduces the fear factor. Workplace bully Continued from page 1 Adjusting the power imbalance By Jennifer Lewington AAU Associate Editor Power imbalances – such as those between a boss and support staff -- are a reality of the workplace. "The AA has to have resources that the boss needs and wants," says Tiziana Casciaro, professor of organizational behaviour at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. "But that's not enough; they have to be a unique source of those resources." If the employer can outsource the work or hire a cheaper substi - tute, the currently employed admin has little power, says Casciaro. As well, the boss may have what the assistant needs – a well-paying job not easily repli- cated elsewhere – and thus holds more of the power in the relationship. As technology and outsourcing continue to disrupt the traditional role of the AA, the power dynamics have become more disadvantageous to admins. But the picture is not all bleak. Casciaro says admins have strategies at their dis- posal to regain some of their diminished power. One approach is to identify tasks, such as social media management, that a boss either can't do well or can't easily delegate to someone else. "Imagine the EA who is well versed [in social media] – and if not well versed can learn – and able to offer that kind of competency as a value-added that a boss would ap - preciate," says Casciaro. She urges admins to draw on their creativity and imagination to identify gaps that they can fill and add to the success of the boss and the organization. Another strategy is to join forces with other admins, Tiziana Casciaro Continued on next page

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