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Bullying bosses

By Diane E. Lewis, Globe Staff, 6/05/05

President Bush's nomination of John R. Bolton as US ambassador to the United Nations has drawn attention to an issue some workers have complained about for years: the bullying boss.

Examples of bosses who rely on intimidation aren't hard to find. Donald Trump perfected the role on ''The Apprentice.'' The Donald not only pits potential job candidates against each other on the weekly show, but also brashly fires someone.

Albert J. Dunlap, former chief executive and president of Sunbeam Corp., had a slash and burn style of layoffs and restructuring that led to the nickname, ''Chain Saw Al.'' Then, there's Martha Stewart, the doyenne of good taste. Prior to her incarceration last year, the offices of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia weren't always considered a great place to work. In fact, one staffer called Stewart ''the boss from hell,'' according to published reports.

Supporters say Bolton, 56, the under secretary of arms control and international security at the State Department, is strong and forceful, the kind of boss who gets things done. Yet questions about his treatment of subordinates caused Congress to temporarily put aside his nomination after allegations surfaced that Bolton was overly aggressive in his dealings with the people he supervised.

Senate Democrats said they wouldn't vote for or against Bolton until they had more details about his management style. They also wanted more time to review reports that Bolton berated intelligence specialists. Republicans, who lacked the votes to push the nomination through, defended Bolton as a solid choice for US ambassador.

Debate over the nomination - which could resume as early as Tuesday, when the Senate returns from its Memorial Day break - has fueled discussions about bullying bosses and how management by intimidation affects morale, retention and, ultimately, the employer's bottom line.

One study, released by Wayne State University, reveals that one in six workers are bullied by bosses in any given year. Gary Namie, director of the Workplace Bullying and Trauma Institute in Bellingham, Wash., said companies support bullying behavior because they believe mean bosses get better results.

''Oftentimes, these leaders are seen as motivating staff,'' said Namie. ''They may achieve some results, but the results are short term. Usually, beneath those results is a lot of lingering resentment followed by talent flight.'' Namie, a consultant for The Workplace Doctor, said employees who cannot escape bad bosses cause problems later on, becoming disenchanted, angry, and disloyal. These are the employees who sabotage the workplace or a company's products and services.

Namie said that workers complain about the bosses' bad behavior, but receive little or no relief because bullies choose their targets carefully. ''Intimidators do not intimidate up the ladder,'' he said. ''They tend to ingratiate themselves with the people above while beating down or kicking the people below.''

Said Namie: ''This is the CEO, supervisor or vice president who laughs at the chairman's jokes, cuts his grass, plays golf and eats lunch with him. So, when exposed as being a bad boss, the people at the very top are less likely to believe the complainers. They are more likely to think that something is wrong with the person who complained.''

What recourse does the employee have? Attorney Robin Bond, president of Transition Strategies LLC, an employment law firm in Philadelphia, said there is no legislation that specifically addresses bullying in the workplace. However, if a bosses' language or behavior creates a hostile work environment, a legal claim can be made.

David Yamada, a professor at the Suffolk University Law School in Boston who specializes in employment law, said an employee could allege workplace bullying under the theory of intentional infliction of emotional distress. ''You could also file for workers' compensation,'' Yamada said. ''And you could sue an individual for interfering with your employment relationship and that could include the boss. In that case, the actions of the bully would have to be seen as so disruptive of someone's ability to do the job that it interfered with the employment relationship.''

Yamada is the author of the Healthy Workplace Act, a bill that bars psychological harassment. The proposed legislation has been filed in four states since 2002, including California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Oklahoma. It has not been signed into law in any state. In 2004, however, a ballot question passed in Amherst that asked the region's state representative to submit legislation that would declare workplace bullying an occupational health hazard. The question also required that a statewide study be commissioned on workplace bullying and abuse.

In some cases, workers who file discrimination or sexual harassment charges are bullied by retaliating supervisors. For example, Sarah Apsey was 26 when she landed a job several years ago as an office manager at a subsidiary of GKA Inc. in Weston, which has since closed. When the company president started making unwanted advances, Apsey reported his actions. Soon after, he called her at work and went ''off in a tirade, screaming and yelling,'' according to legal papers.

Last year, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination awarded Apsey $9,500 in back wages, with 12 percent interest retroactive to the day she filed her complaint, $75,000 in damages for emotional distress.

Concerned about the work environment, some US firms hire executive coaches to help mean bosses change their behavior. Lauren Mackler, a psychotherapist and business coach in Newton, works with executives who have difficulty managing anger at work, and communicating with subordinates. She said the bosses' bad behavior is rooted in coping strategies learned during childhood.

Mackler helps the poorly behaved develop new strategies by delving into the role their families played in shaping their values, core beliefs and reactions. She recalled a top executive who belittled and berated a subordinate who gave their opinions. Fearful of being embarrassed or worse, fired, they stopped sharing their ideas. When a subordinate quit and reported the executive's behavior to higher-ups, the company hired Mackler.

Mackler said the boss who berated his workers created a situation that encouraged backstabbing and vicious gossip. ''They were all vying for 'Dad's' affection and approval,'' she said.

Mackler put together a development plan for him that included an assessment of his childhood and family life. It helped the client come to terms with his anger and aggression, she said.

Changing a negative workplace also requires the attention of leadership. But, John Challenger, chief executive of the outplacement firm, Challenger, Gray and Christmas, said bad bosses are sometimes perceived as untouchable because of lucrative contacts or the revenue they bring in. ''The bad boss may have leverage that makes him or her difficult to confront,'' said Challenger. ''It could be emotional leverage, or it could be the person's hold on a major account or set of accounts. It could even be the fact that he has access to key people in the organization.''

But all too often, Challenger said, companies do not take action until their reputation - and profits - are at stake.

Diane E. Lewis can be reached at dlewis@globe.com.

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