How to Spot Power Harassment

There are 6 types of actions that qualify as power harassment:

• Psychological abuse
• Physical abuse
• Elaborate demands (Demands that exceed a person’s skill or capabilities)
• Miniscule tasks (Tasks that limit a person’s skill or qualifications)
• Socially isolating a person
• Invasion of privacy

In this article, we will focus on power harassment based on these 6 types.

The Boss Thinks They’re “Teaching You A Lesson”

Type: Psychological abuse, physical abuse, elaborate demands

When you hear that there’s power harassment at a workplace, what situation first comes to mind? Many might think of a boss excessively criticizing a worker over their small mistake. No one wants to “excessively” chastise a person and there is a possibility that the boss is not aware of their power harassing actions. What they may think as a “teaching moment” turns into power harassment when they are unconsciously abusing their position of power.

On the other hand, it can be tricky for a boss when things get misinterpreted. A boss may hand over a challenging project with good intentions so that a person could grow towards taking the next steps in their career. Unfortunately, some employees may take this as a power harassing “elaborate demand” pushed upon them.

Lacks in the Ability to Assess Yet Oblivious to It

Type: Elaborate demands and minuscule tasks

It can be considered power harassment if a boss demands an unfair task to a new employee that hasn’t been taught the task yet, or if a boss keeps asking a well-experienced person to do only minuscule tasks.

It’s okay if you’ve already agreed on these kinds of arrangements, but if a boss can’t allocate proper work fit for a person’s skill, it probably means that they lack the capability to assess their employee’s skills.

Yes, there are cases where a boss may intentionally give out these tasks that don’t match a person’s qualifications. However, the most common reason this trouble occurs is when the boss is very talented himself, yet has low management skills.

They’re Insensitive to Begin With

Type: Psychological abuse, socially isolating a person, invasion of privacy

This kind of power harassment happens when a boss is incapable of thinking about what another person may feel due to their actions. They may mock an employee directly or ask unnecessarily personal questions.

The root cause of this type of harassment lies in a boss’s personality. In this case, an employee should go consult someone else who is in an adequate position to help them improve the situation.

5 Power Harassment Prevention Methods You Can Use Right Away

Most victims of power harassment never take action because they think that, “there’s no way to fix the problem.” If you don’t take action, the power harassment will continue until you leave the position. To protect your own mental well-being, the following methods may help prevent a situation before it escalates.

1. Tell Your Boss What You Really Think

As mentioned above, most times bosses may be acting a certain way without noticing what
consequences their actions are causing. Letting them know how you’re feeling is important in this case.

Let them know specifically what’s bothering you whether it’s an action they take, words they say, or if it’s simply a matter of tasks that seem unfit to your skills. Specific details will allow a boss to make improvements on their own actions.

Some bosses can affect more than one person. If there are others suffering from power harassment by the same boss, try to help each other out.

2. Keep A Detailed Record of Your Harassment

If excessive power harassment leads to PTSD or other mental illnesses, you can sue them for it.
The court case will look into whether there were grounds for power harassment or not. Keep a daily record of the harassment that you took. This will serve as proof in court.

The best proofs are visual or sound recordings of the incidents. If it’s difficult to record, the next best thing is a written record whether it be in a notebook or your smartphone. When you keep a written record, try to include the following points:

・Date and time
・A detailed description of the location
・People who were present in that same location
・Detailed specifics of the harassment (including conversations)
・How the harassment made you feel

Try to keep all recordings truthful to facts and avoid coloring the situation with biased expressions. This will enhance the reliability of your recordings.

3. Talk to Others In A Different Division or Report to HR

If you have difficulty speaking directly to your boss, you can raise your concerns to a person in HR or a different division that can help.

Research shows that people with high self-efficacy tend to try and go solve problems on their own instead of relying on others. Power harassment may not solve immediately when you raise your concerns, but external help will lead to improvements in the long run.

The courage to step forward is essential in combating power harassment.

4. Find Aspects That Your Respect of Your Boss

This may sound contradictory, but “getting to know your boss” can be an effective alternative approach. Power harassments commonly occur when a boss and their subordinates lack communication. In other words, a lack of trust can lead to power harassment.

It takes both sides, but you can build trust towards your boss on your end by finding aspects you respect about them. It’s difficult to see the good in people when we keep focusing on the negative aspects. Your boss has earned their way into a management position, so surely, there is something attractive or good about them. When we respect someone, we can start to trust them enough to understand why they act the way they do.

Trust can create a 180-degree changed perspective of an incident. If you start liking your boss, you may no longer feel that you’re being harassed.

5. File A Complaint with The U.S. EEOC

If there are no harassment procedures in place or adequate people you can talk to, there are places outside of the office where you can raise your concerns. If you’re in the US, consider filing a complaint with the EEOC. The EEOC will investigate your claim and work with your employer to put an end to the situation. If it still continues then, the EEOC will advise you to sue your employer.

If you feel hesitant about talking to a person, AI (Artificial Intelligence) counseling may be a helpful alternative. It can listen to your problems without any restrictions on time schedule, or location. It’s an affordable alternative counseling method with a free trial period. Give it a try!
→ SELF MIND

Don’t Bear Through Power Harassment

There is no need to bear through power harassment. It only harms your mental and makes you incapable of thriving. We hope that the methods mentioned in this post will help you face your power harassment issues starting tomorrow!

References:

Hara, M. (1969). Significance of Legislating Measures to Prevent Power Harassment. Seikei University: The Journal of Law, Political Science and Humanities, 90, 183–196. https://iss.ndl.go.jp/books/R000000004-I029808675-00

Sekine, A., & Naganuma, Y. (2015). Which factors inhibit talking about workplace victimization? The Proceedings of the Annual Convention of the Japanese Psychological Association, 79(0), 1EV – 060. https://doi.org/10.4992/pacjpa.79.0_1ev-060

The post 5 Ways to Combat Power Harassment at Work appeared first on SELF MIND.

“Trust other people.” “Have belief in yourself.” “Believe it will be okay.”
It’s easier said than done. Humans cannot survive alone, and we all naturally yearn for social connections. We also cannot live without subconsciously believing in something, and it’s perhaps this subconscious desire that forms the basis of our trust in other humans. In fact, the act of “believing” plays a significant role in mental health. Both the act of belief in others, as well as belief in yourself (self-efficacy) are important to the longterm wellbeing of your personal mental health, as well as the health of your interpersonal relationships. In this article, we will explore the aspects of belief and trust within clinical practices.

Trust and Belief Between Doctors and Patients

For example, when we get sick, we visit our doctor or hospital. The patient needs to trust that the doctor would do their best to treat them. The same goes for the doctor – the doctor gathers the patient’s self-account, and they must trust and believe it to be accurate. The doctors will then use this information to treat the patients appropriately and accordingly. It’s important to note here that the person treating you must be value-neutral. In clinical practice, this means keeping religious or personal ideology out of the practice while pointing out symptoms and conditions from neutral perspectives. Without this prerequisite, the trust between the doctor and patient may be easily broken.

Trust requires courage. Trust creates a connection and makes us more open to one another, but it can also make us more vulnerable. This sense of vulnerability can also trigger our self-defending mechanisms within, creating a conflict where we want to trust but can’t. In a way, trust and distrust always come into play as a fine balance. Trusting in others may not be easy, but if you believe it will be okay, then things will naturally fall into place.

Self-Efficacy is Key to a Healthy Mind

Let’s change our perspective a little bit. Athletes are known for their visualization training, which is a type of mental training aimed to improve concentration, retain physical skills, and overcome trauma – all of which are important aspects in improving and maintaining one’s self-efficacy. Soccer player Lionel Messi would run on the treadmill while watching footage of his own goals. When golfer Tiger Woods feels like he’s losing focus before a shot, he sits down, closes his eyes, and envisions a good shot. It’s scientifically proven that these mental training can lead to higher self-efficacy, and subsequently, improved records. Athletes visualize their success, and believe it into reality. We can also decrease potential disturbing psychological interferences through breathing exercises and positive thinking.

When we are completely immersed in our activities, our anxieties and tension reduce. This makes total immersion an effective psychological technique for calming down. People who can practice mental training with high levels of concentration are likely to be more imaginative. Furthermore, they are likely to possess a greater ability to have belief in themselves. In other words, these types of individuals tend to have higher self-efficacy, which actually directly impacts your capabilities and skills. Believe it to be true, and it will come into fruition. We can say that immersion is one of many ways to deal with our mental health challenges. This really goes to show what belief and trust can do for you.

Expose Yourself Through Open Belief

As mentioned earlier, trust implies opening our hearts up to others. This also requires us to be vulnerable. It’s not an easy task to trust in someone completely, even if it’s someone you like or rely on, due to fears of betrayal, embarrassment, or pain. Let your walls down, stay open, and accept things as they are. Accept others’ intentions, and believe it to be genuine. You may feel a resistance to this idea, and there will always be fears about what would happen if you were to get hurt. However, only those who can overcome these fears can make great strides towards improving their mental health. Only when we have belief in ourselves and trust others, can we build relationships based on trust and belief.

Simply saying “believe it” or “have belief in yourself” sounds easy in theory, yet difficult in practice. Do you have the courage to harness the power of your belief?

→ Looking to improve your mental health? Try the SELFMIND app FREE for 1 week!
If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

References:
Iida, T. (2016). The Effectiveness of Mental Training Based on an Understanding of the Psychological State of the Athlete. Iwate University Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, 25, 39~51. doi: 10.15113/00014452

Kumakura, N. (2008). A Study of “Believing” in Clinical Practice: Thoughts on Kenro Doi’s article, “Psychotherapy and Belief”. The Japanese Journal of Mental Health, 23(2), 49-60. doi: 10.11383/kokoronokenkou1986.23.2_49

Sekizawa, Y., Goto, Y., So, M., Noguchi, R., & Shimizu, E. (2016). Future Predictions on Income and Livelihoods and Their Relationship to Well-being/mental health: An Examination Using Questions From the Consumer Confidence Index. RIETI Discussion Paper Series 16-J-052. Retrieved from: https://www.rieti.go.jp/jp/publications/dp/16j052.pdf

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