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I’m a police officer in my mid-40s and one of my subordinates at work accused me of workplace bullying, saying my presence was “intimidating.” After the accusation, my duties were changed.
I had worked with the subordinate only four times. This person never followed my instructions and didn’t even respond to me.
On one of my days off, my supervisor told me, “Your duties will be changed starting tomorrow because of a complaint made against you alleging bullying.” The supervisor didn’t even ask to hear my side.
A subsequent internal investigation cleared me of bullying, but whenever my former subordinate sees me now, they just run away and don’t greet me, pretending to be a victim.
My supervisor told me: “You’ve experienced all sorts of things in the line of duty. This is nothing, right?”
But I’ve actually been losing hair because of it. I don’t understand how a person can just make a complaint and automatically win. I’m in agony.
T, location withheld
Dear Mr. T:
Some people, when they were subordinates, endured many years of what would by today’s standards be considered workplace bullying. After becoming supervisors, however, they are now afraid of being accused by their subordinates.
I’ve heard that many mid-ranking managers currently face similar problems to what you’ve faced.
But wait just a minute. Should the statement that your presence was intimidating be taken at face value? The problem the person apparently had was not with your remarks or actions, but with your presence. This person claimed your presence instilled fear.
That means there’s nothing you can do and no effort you can make to remedy the situation. On the contrary, it’s the accuser’s words that seem like an attack. I believe that ignoring instructions is a kind of bullying that subordinates can enact on their superiors.
The reason the internal investigation cleared you was probably because the blame was found to be on the accuser’s side.
From now on, you should keep a record of who said and did what to whom and when. Do not keep your issue to yourself. Talk to your supervisor or the human resources department to clarify where the problem lies.
If your organization does not act, you may want to seek advice from outside entities, such as your local government’s personnel affairs committee.
With social media usage now pervasive, “monster employees,” which refers to those who interpret anything as harassment as an excuse to attack their superiors and companies, seem to be proliferating. Taking a firm stand can prevent you from becoming a victim to this kind of bullying in the future.
