BULLYING AT CAL POLY
POMONA
June 30, 2015
Stop the Abusive Behavior
NOW
Stand Up and Speak Out
56% of bullies are managers
 33% of bullies are peers
 11% of bullies are subordinates
 Bullies
 31% are female
 69% are male

 60%
are female
 40% are male
 57%
female
 43% male
 68%
are female
 32% male
Persistent, offensive, abusive,
intimidating or insulting behavior, abuse
of power, or unfair punishment which
upsets, threatens and/or humiliates the
recipient(s), undermining their selfconfidence, reputation and ability to
perform
According to the Merriam-Webster
Dictionary the definition of a bully is:
A blustering browbeating person;
especially, one habitually cruel to
others who are weaker: to frighten,
hurt, or threaten: to cause (someone)
to do something by making threats or
insults or by using force
 Bullying destroys
teams causing
 Disenchantment
 Demoralization
 Demotivation
 Low productivity
 Alienation
 Increases staff:
• Turnover
• Sickness
• Absences
Isolation
Control
Elimination

Constantly nit-pick, finding fault in
everything and criticizing in a trivial way

Criticizing based on distortion,
misrepresentation and/or fabrication

Refusing to recognize the target(s)
existence and value
• Constantly undermining the target(s) and his
or her position, status, value and potential
• Excluding and separating target(s) from
colleagues
• Marginalizing, overruling, ignoring, sidelining
• Denying information or knowledge necessary
for the achievement of objectives
 Starving the target(s) of resources, while
giving others more than what they need
 Denying managerial support
 Excessively monitoring and micromanaging
 Encouraging written complaints by other staff
members against the target(s)
 Denying leave and vacation requests
 Singling them out and treating them
differently
 Belittling, demeaning and patronizing,
especially in front of others
 Humiliating and threatening in front of others
 Overloading with work, having all work taken
away or giving menial tasks
 Stealing and plagiarizing the target’s work
 Increasing responsibility and/or decreasing or
removing authority
 Denying training that is necessary to perform
duties
 Setting unrealistic goals and constantly changing
goals without notice
 Changing deadlines with little or no notice,
causing failure
 Subjecting target to gossip which damages his
or her reputation

Twisting, distorting and misrepresenting
the target’s work performance

Giving discipline for trivial or fabricated
reasons

Coercing into leaving, constructive
dismissal, early retirement
Most workplace bullying is
traceable to a person with
several of the following traits:
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Obsessed with image
Passive aggressive
Self-Righteous, pompous and overly
confident
Appears self-assured
Ambitious, argumentative and judgmental
May give off an impression of trustworthiness
and reliability
Has an air of untouchability: questioning this
person's actions or decisions is taboo
especially among peers and superiors.
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Compulsive liar: spontaneously makes
things up to fit the needs of the moment
Routinely embellishes stories for effect
Convinces superiors and peers by
seeming plausible and convincing,
sometimes by copying others' behavior,
words or work
Portrays him or herself as kind, caring and
compassionate but only behaves this way
when it leads to personal gain
 Doesn't listen, can't sustain a meaningful
conversation
 Superficial and glib
 Seems to have an overbearing, distorted
belief in his or her qualities and importance
within the organization
 Is oblivious to the difference between how
he or she would like to be seen, and how he
or she is seen
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Wants to control everything
Has a subjective sense of right and wrong
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"Right" is whatever he or she can get away with
"Wrong" could be anything done by others, justifying
the bully's punishments, threats, control etc.
Projects his or her own shortcomings onto
others
Distorts peoples' perceptions of reality through
falsehood and gossip
• Rewrites history to paint a better picture of
him or herself and/or a worse picture of
someone else
• Tells different people different things, causing
confusion, disruption, division and conflict
• Warns targets that nobody will believe them if
they report the bullying
 Is selectively (un)friendly and (un)cooperative:
 Is mean and inappropriately inflexible with
some people; but is generous, relaxed and
very accommodating with others
 May motivate allies with the prospect of
reward; but motivates most people with fear
and guilt
 Directly or indirectly threatens dire
consequences for people under his or her
influence, who think or act for themselves

Once called to account:
 Aggressively denies and refutes any criticism
 Counter-attacking the critic with fabricated or
distorted counter-criticism
 Claims to have been bullied by the complainant,
feigns victimhood, ("poor me"), uses amateur
dramatics (bursting into tears etc.), to avoid the
question and evade accountability
 Makes others feel guilty for daring to suggest
that he or she might have done the slightest
thing wrong

Can be innocent and charming
some of the time (typically in the
presence of witnesses), but
vicious and vindictive at other
times (typically when there are
no witnesses)
 Lacks a conscience, shows no remorse
 Has a compulsive need to criticize
 Is often devious, manipulative, spiteful,
vengeful
 Becomes impatient, irritable and aggressive
if asked to address the needs and concerns
of others
 May be emotionally cold, humorless, joyless
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Bullying can start simply because the
target is there
Bullying may be unwittingly provoked
because the target is competent, popular,
successful, has integrity or otherwise
characteristics that the bully perceives as
a threat to their own status, fearing that the
target will - inadvertently or deliberately expose some negative aspect of the
bully’s activity
Bullying can cause injury to health
and make people ill, with some or all
of the following symptoms. Many, if
not all of these symptoms are
consequences of the high levels of
stress and anxiety that bullying
creates
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Shattered self-confidence, low selfworth, low self-esteem
Hypersensitivity, fragility, irritability and
angry outbursts
Tearfulness, bursting into tears regularly
over trivial things
Sweating, trembling, shaking, heart
palpitations, panic attacks
• Forgetfulness, poor concentration,
obsessed with the thought of being
bullied
• Exhaustion, constant fatigue,
sleeplessness, nightmares, waking early
• Headaches and migraines
• Frequent illnesses, stress plays havoc
with the immune system
Maintain records at home, not at work
 Forward all emails to your home email
address
 Keep memos, emails and other
documents that are evidential of bullying
 Prepare and maintain daily detailed notes
of what you said and did, and what others
said and did
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Ultimately, the only thing you can
control is you

It is in your best interests to report bullying
to the Union
Focus your attention on what you can do
and are doing
Mistakes you make as a result of being
bullied, any sickness, absences, and any
illness that will be used by a bully to
discredit you

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• Most bullying is designed to provoke a
response that can be used against you
• Always act reasonably so a contrast will
emerge between your behavior and the
bully's behavior
• Remember that once you decide to resist
the bullying, you may be in for the "long
haul"
Be calm, cool and collected
 Act disconnected when you feel
emotional.
 Speak slowly and clearly. Maintain a
relaxed facial expression and body
language.
 Smile occasionally, when
appropriate, to show the bully that
nothing bothers you

A single comment communicates far
more than a rambling explanation.
For example, when a bully unfairly
criticizes something you did and
asks for an explanation, you could
either become defensive and
struggle to debate him--which plays
right into his hands--or just
nonchalantly say: “Because that’s
the best way to do it.”
Good: Idealistic: Passive: Selfcritical: Fearful: Vulnerable

Good - A bully wants followers who are
cooperative, conscientious and giving. Bullies
know that unselfish, caring people are more
likely to forgive his/her aggression and
continue serving his/her needs, even after
years of verbal abuse

Passive - Bullies want followers that are:
Polite to a fault, non-confrontational,
afraid to debate others openly, easily
interrupted, quiet and non-expressive.
Introverts are more likely to become
subservient to an aggressor

Self-critical - People who are self-critical, lack
self-confidence and self-respect are more likely
to accept a bully as superior and accept blame
on the bully’s behalf

Fearful - People who display a great deal
of fear, nervous habits and speech
patterns such as a timid tone of voice are
usually easier targets for intimidation and
manipulation

Vulnerable : Emotionally vulnerable
people are also more easily manipulated.

Mobbing: Encourages other staff
members to “mob” the target; “ganging
up” and gossiping
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The union is here to protect your rights

Possible grievance for violations under Article 23 – Health and Safety - 23.1 The
CSU recognizes the importance of
procedures and policies for the protection
of health and safety of employees and
shall endeavor to maintain such
conditions conducive to the health and
safety of the employees.
Possible…..
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Complaint for violation of the Zero
Tolerance Policy for Threats or Acts of
Violence
Grievance under Article 23 Health and
Safety
Executive Order 1096 Systemwide Policy
Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment and
Retaliation Against Employees & Third Parties
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The union will ask you to explain what is
happening to you in your workplace
Examples of the bullying behavior will
help your union steward to understand
what you are going through
We will work with you to find the best
course of action
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Deborah Campbell, President
Sheila Taylor, Vice President
Sandra Harper, Secretary
Robert Rice, Treasurer
Loretta “Rhett” Villanueva, Organizing Chair
Vacant, BU2 Representative
Reggie Keys, BU5 Representative
Rocky Sanchez, BU7 Representative 7 & Chief Steward
Hector Maciel, BU9 Representative
Deborah Campbell, x 4557
Sheila Taylor, x 2872
Sandra Harper, x3355
Robert Rice, x5316
Rhett Villanueva, x6428
Reggie Reyes, x4137
Rocky Sanchez, x2683
Hector Maciel, x4035
Cindi Ganti, x 3030
Randy Hallock, x3030
Francisco Vitela, x3030
Patricia Arellano, x3030
Acknowledgement to Cal State Long Beach’s Chapter 315 and their Chapter President Janine Licausi
Workplace Bullying Institute website: http://www.workplacebullying.org/news/