Working to Cope with Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse is a serious issue that affects the well-being of people throughout the world.Emotional abuseoccurs when, within the confines of any relationship between two people, one of those people feels inferior or unimportant as the result of the other person’s words or actions. Most people associate emotional abuse with the relationships between parents and children, or with intimate relationships. However, when working in close proximity to several different people, it can be easy for emotional abuse to occur; it is also likely to go unnoticed or unreported.
Many people who suffer emotional abuse do not speak out, perhaps because they do not feel deserving of better conditions; perhaps because they fear further ridicule; perhaps because they feel that they need to remain silent to continue working at a job they need to support their families. For the health of the person involved in an emotional abuse situation, it is important to not only recognize the signs of emotional abuse, but also to understand some possible remedies to the situation.
Although it seems unlikely that the victim will recognize what is happening or will feel strong enough to approach the antagonist, the person who is causing the feelings needs to know how his or her actions are impacting the coworker. In many situations, the aggressor has been a victim in the past, and attempting to control situations and other people is a defense mechanism against emotional abuse. If possible, both parties should attempt to sit down and discuss the situation to attempt to resolve any underlying issues. Most times, a mediator can be available at the request of either party. The mediator can ensure that the feelings of both people are protected and give impartial suggestions to both.
If the talk between coworkers is unsuccessful, or the person being emotionally abused does not recognize the abuse, a manager or the owner should be contacted before working conditions become unbearable. When an employee is subject to constant criticism, the view of oneself becomes skewed; he or she may begin to doubt the ability to do the job correctly. This is detrimental to productivity, which is a concern for most business owners and managers. For this reason, an emotional abuse situation is something that should be talked about as soon as possible with a higher-up that can be trusted. Without attempting to blame the aggressor, it should be made known that the behavior is occurring and that it is impacting the work environment and productivity. Specific situations should be addressed, and it should also be expressed that a resolution is desired. Often, asking for advice will trigger the owner or manager to take action on behalf of the person being exposed to emotional abuse.
Unfortunately, more often than not, emotional abuse in the workplace is difficult to prove, as often it is the word of one employee against that of another. If the employee who is suffering is unable to gain the support of management, and the aggressive employee refuses to change behavior, then the situation is unlikely to improve. In a case such as this, it is often necessary for the abused employee to attempt to move on to another job or company where they will no longer have to endure the mistreatment. It is important to remember, though, that silence will not make the problem go away. Even if the victim chooses to leave the job, a formal complaint should be made with the human resources department of the company. This way, there is a record for any future occurrences of similar behavior, and perhaps another employee may be spared.
