When bullying at work comes to light, the first question is usually: who did it? The more useful question is: how could it grow here? Bullying rarely starts big. It starts with a joke at someone’s expense, a colleague who is left out of the lunch invitation, an email that is copied to everyone except one person. It grows when nobody names it.
That makes bullying a team problem, not only a personal one. And team problems can be solved by teams.
Aristotle: character is built by habit
Aristotle argued that we become just by doing just acts, and brave by doing brave acts. Virtue is not a feeling but a habit. The same holds for a team culture. A team becomes respectful not through a policy on the intranet, but through hundreds of small moments in which people choose to include, to listen and to speak up. Every time a remark goes unanswered, the team practises the opposite habit.
Kant: never treat people merely as a means
Kant’s principle that we should treat others always as ends in themselves, never merely as a means, is a sharp test for workplace behaviour. Is a colleague being used as a scapegoat, a target for frustration, a way to look good in front of the manager? Then the line is crossed, however small the incident seems.
Three things your team can start tomorrow
- Name what you see. Agree as a team that a remark like “that was not okay” is always allowed, from anyone, towards anyone.
- Check who is missing. In meetings, emails and informal moments, ask regularly: who is not here, and should they be?
- Make it safe to report. Make sure people know where they can go, and that speaking up leads to a conversation, not to blame.
A safe workspace is where learning starts
People only take risks, ask questions and learn when they feel safe. That is why a safe workspace is not a soft extra, but the ground every performing team stands on. Community is a process, as Mary Parker Follett wrote: something we build together, every day.
Our Superteams magazine explains, in 60 pages, the building blocks of a successful team, with real-life examples and practical exercises that help teams find harmony and unity through diversity. Explore more on our Safe workspace page.