How to resist psychological pressure from the boss. Evidence of psychological pressure on the employee with the aim of dismissal
Psychological pressure at work is manifested, as a rule, in relation to an employee whose work the manager is dissatisfied with, or he is incorrectly informed about this and he is determined to fire this employee, or rather force him to quit of his own free will. The second option is pressure from colleagues who did not like the employee for some reason.
Pressure from management: reasons
The negative attitude of management is the most difficult, because it means that, most likely, the employee wants to be fired and do it without a loud scandal. That is, simply force him to write a statement of his own free will.
Also, the reason for such an attitude may be slander from colleagues or direct management. This is especially true for beginners.
What to do
There are several ways that you can use in this case:
- Talk to your boss directly and openly ask what caused the situation. Usually, during such a conversation, it is possible to find out the mood of the manager, that is, to understand whether he has definitely decided to fire the employee, or is simply dissatisfied with him and the situation can be corrected. If the management is determined to be fired, then it is better to leave, since the chances of staying at work in this situation tend to zero, which means there is no reason to endure nit-picking and moral pressure.
- Try to find out through third parties about the reasons for such behavior. The information received must be carefully weighed and received from people in whom you are sure. After that, you can adjust your behavior.
Before you try to correct the situation, you need to understand for yourself whether this work is so important or maybe it is possible to find a similar replacement for it.
Pressure from colleagues: reasons
There can be many reasons for negative attitudes from colleagues:
- The employee just came to work and did not fit into the team.
- The employee regularly takes the initiative and is constantly praised and encouraged.
- The employee reports to the management about all the affairs of the team.
- The employee was accepted into the place of a person who was loved and respected in the team, etc.
Pressure can be exerted both by the whole team and by its individual employees.
What to do
In this case, everything is simpler, especially when the leader is not involved in this matter, that is, he does not give preference to any of the “parties”.
Methods depend on the nature of a particular person:
- If an employee is confident in himself, as in a good specialist and he has no problems with his superiors, he can safely ignore the pressure of the team (of course, if he has enough character). Over time, most will fall behind him, because it is not interesting to poison a person who does not react.
- Try to win one or two people over to your side, it is desirable that they be people who have authority in the team, but are apart from it.
- Take your time, because in some organizations, pressure on a newcomer is a kind of rite of passage.
What you should not do in any case is to curry favor and humiliate yourself in front of colleagues, this will most likely increase the negative attitude, or they will set up a person behind his back.
Not every person can withstand psychological pressure at work, and even those who have an iron character should consider whether it is worth trying to correct the situation, especially if the negative attitude comes from the leader. In these cases, the employee is almost always fired, especially in private organizations.
Diana3008
Good afternoon. I have such a situation. I have been working at a new job and in a completely new direction for me for almost a year. There was no prior experience. The team is mainly made up of adult women 45+, I am 24, who have been working with each other for decades, and a couple of girls of my age. With all seniors I communicate neutrally, normally, except for one. She ignores me, for example, if we work 12 hours a shift together, during all this time we only say hello and goodbye. Or somehow, at the beginning of my work, she told me, like, that I don’t understand anything and how I was even hired. He answers my questions with irritation or simply says look in the book. Or, in front of me, he may say to others that "why take the young, they are stupid" and this was said twice underlined. The boss is good, but I don’t want to tell her, no matter how I make it worse. All this really annoys me, it seems to everyone and to myself I say that I don’t give a damn about her, but all the same, her behavior and words hurt me. How can I disengage and not take such people to heart at all?
Diana3008, good evening. Do you interact with this employee in any way during the shift? Do you have things in common? Are you in the same room? I highly recommend an article about
The psychologist will answer the topic after a while.
Diana3008
Yes. We are in the same room just the two of us for 12 hours. We have almost the same job. But since She behaves like that, then I don’t communicate with her and try not to contact her at all
Hello! I think that many young professionals may face similar problems.
Tell me, please, what exactly annoys you in communicating with her? Yes, this cannot but offend, given that you new person in a team that has never worked in this field.
Or somehow, at the beginning of my work, she told me, like, that I don’t understand anything and how I was even hired.
And how would you like your communication with her to go?
Diana3008
It hurts me that she just ignores me alone and seems to hate me, although there is a girl of my same age, she works half a year longer than me, everything is ok with her. Well, for example, when I greet her, she answers me "hello" as if quietly under her breath, in a lowered intonation, although with others "oh hello, how are you ..." and that's all with me. I already wrote that after 3 months of work, she told me when I made a mistake that I didn’t understand anything at all and how my boss allowed me to work. And in front of me, she told her colleagues why they should take the young, they are stupid, and she repeated this word stupid twice out loud.
Now she answers my questions, I just don’t ask them anymore because I already feel more confident at work. Therefore, she can simply answer me and that's it. Ignore is that we can not talk to her at all for all 12 hours.
I know that I am not a stupid person, but I realized that it was really difficult for me at this job without preparation, I was taught, but taught so-so. And of course, in difficult moments, I can slow down and slow down, but this is inevitable, because the specifics of the work are such. But I already feel more confident and knowledge is slowly falling into place in my head.
I would like her to communicate with me like others, well, that is, it is clear that there is nothing special for us to talk about with women, but just asking them how she went on vacation and all that would be nice. Although I understand that I will not take the first step towards it. I just hate her now. I had before. When I saw that with her on a shift, I started to shake
Hello!
Yes, I also get stupid and slow down sometimes. Everyone makes mistakes, mistakes are development, without them, nowhere. A person who is intolerant of the mistakes of others has unresolved psychological problems himself.
My first job was as a psychologist at school, but I worked there for 3 days, because the headmistress was just an unbalanced woman who screamed at everyone with or without reason. She, of course, had an ideal order and the school was one of the best in the city. But I was scared. :) Now I think that it would be better if I stayed, I would have gained such an experience.
And you have iron patience, despite her attitude, you learn and improve in your work! This is respectful. :thumbsup:
Now she answers my questions, I just don’t ask them anymore because I already feel more confident at work. Therefore, she can simply answer me and that's it. Ignore is that we can not talk to her at all for all 12 hours.
Diana3008
Here, in general, everyone discusses each other if suddenly something happens. If someone (not me) is wrong, everyone will discuss it. If she herself makes a mistake, they will discuss it. And not only to me, there is also a girl working here, she also clung to her until her husband, who also works here, put her in her place. Since then, she has been very friendly with this girl. I just understand everything with my head, but inside I still worry every time. And I don't know how not to worry.
Hello! People need to talk about something, and someone's mistakes, for some people, are very interesting topics for discussion. It's hard to work in such an atmosphere. Are you somehow worried that you will be discussed for your mistakes?
What do you think, if you are the first to start talking to her on topics that are distracted from work, how will she react?
Here, in general, everyone discusses each other if suddenly something happens. If someone (not me) is wrong, everyone will discuss it. If she herself makes a mistake, they will discuss it.
Diana3008
It won't bother me if I'm judged for my mistakes. Because I understand with my head that this is inevitable and this is normal. But it was during the shift and after with this woman that I was unsettled.
If I talk to her about abstract topics, it seems to me that she will not support the conversation. And I definitely won’t talk to her, after all. Unless she suddenly does
And another question, if I hear, for example, that she says again "the young are to blame", or rudeness in her address, etc., should she answer in terms of "why do you answer like that, you can't say normally?" Or just keep quiet? Because, on the one hand, she is almost twice as old as me, and it’s embarrassing for me to somehow answer her, but on the other hand, I feel like I’m spineless, they humiliate me, and I just keep quiet and don’t defend myself in any way?
Yes, I understand, you hardly want to talk to her, you feel hatred and resentment.
And another question, if I hear, for example, that she says again "the young are to blame", or rudeness in her address, etc., should she answer in terms of "why do you answer like that, you can't say normally?" Or just keep quiet? Because, on the one hand, she is almost twice as old as me, and it’s embarrassing for me to somehow answer her, but on the other hand, I feel like I’m spineless, they humiliate me, and I just keep quiet and don’t defend myself in any way?
In life, each of us at least once found ourselves under pressure at work: your opinion was neglected, you were not allowed to make a single independent decision without the consent of the management, achievements were easily devalued in front of colleagues, and the like. Let's take a look and try to analyze the most common situations.
The processes of psychological pressure from colleagues and management, research on the topic of violence at work, scientists have been engaged since the mid-80s of the last century. The concepts of mobbing, bullying, bossing, staffing came to us from the West. In Russia, on the other hand, people are not accustomed to “making dirty linen in public,” and therefore the terms that reflect all aspects of psychological harassment in the workplace are not known to either Russian legislation or judicial practice in our country.
In life, each of us at least once found ourselves under pressure at work: your opinion was neglected, not allowed to make a single independent decision without the consent of the management, achievements were easily depreciated in front of colleagues, etc. For many, work ruined life. And imagine how many "great" opportunities there are to survive objectionable employees from the company, without even resorting to complex legal and administrative procedures. And you can also shift part of your work to colleagues, and what is harmful and how dangerous is such a pathology in interpersonal relationships for the company? And what can be done to remedy the situation? Let's take a look and analyze the most common situations.
Gender factor in team management
In personnel management, a female leader pays more attention to the psychological climate in the team, relations between employees, differs from a male leader in greater sensitivity to subordinates. But a woman tends to be more receptive to criticism, biased towards ongoing processes and people, which does not allow her to behave constructively. It is excessive emotionality that is considered a serious drawback of the female management model.
The style of male leadership is strongly influenced by stereotypes, according to which a man must be harsh, adamant, demanding and even sometimes unfair, if, as he believes, this is required by the interests of the cause. Aggression in men often manifests itself when they do not want to show their sensitivity. Instead of showing sympathy and helping, a man may, not wanting to show his weakness, show unjustified aggression. It is believed that the rigid male model of management is much more effective. Psychologists say that the stereotypes of a “good manager” and a “typical man” largely coincide. But scientists have found that the behavior of a leader who achieves success also includes traits that are characteristic primarily of "female" behavior. A good leader must be goal-oriented and able to defend his opinion (masculine traits), and he must also be able to communicate with people and appreciate them at their true worth (feminine qualities).
Wars within the team
In world practice, there is already a fairly large number of studies on psychological pressure and discrimination against employees. So, in 2003, the American organization that studies the problem of harassment in the workplace, The Workplace Bullying & Trauma Institute, conducted a study, according to which it became known that women are the most often victims of psychological pressure (80 percent). Gender characteristics also determine who becomes the initiator and who is a participant in psychological pressure. If the object of pressure is a woman, then the aggressors are more often men (54%) than women (respectively 46%). With regard to male “victims”, the situation is more definite – male colleagues are more likely to be ready to assert themselves at the expense of rivals – in 72 percent of cases. Men use their official position, while women tend to use their informal contacts within the company to organize the persecution of the “victim”. Men are more likely than women to threaten with dismissal and do not hesitate to insult. Women, on the other hand, tend to boycott the object of persecution, spread rumors and gossip.
Situation one. All against one
Every three months, a new employee comes to the established team of one of the departments of ZAO R. After the third dismissal, the head of the personnel department, noticing this state of affairs, conducted an exit interview with the resigning person. It turned out that the department has its own set of unspoken rules and guidelines and its own informal leader - lead manager Elena A. And if a newcomer does not meet certain standards, then he immediately sets the team against himself. And the male leader sits in a separate office and does not see anything or maybe does not want to see it.
Solution option. The team has its own informal leader - this is a woman who sets her own rules in the department and competes in a number of cases with the male boss. In this situation, the following actions can be taken: firstly, invite the manager to move to the same office with his subordinates. Then, with the boss informal leader you will have to behave more restrained and the psychological pressure on newcomers will be reduced. Secondly, as a solution, you can propose to the head of the department to distribute job responsibilities among the employees of the department in such a way as to remove the “problem” vacant unit from the staff list.
Situation two. Office terrorists
Have you ever described your work to your boss every minute or listened to instructions from him on what to do, and at the level of individual actions, and not tasks or subtasks, your work was sharply criticized without specific explanations and suggestions, etc.? If yes, then this means that your boss is an office terrorist or a micromanager *. This behavior is based on a lack of trust, because the micromanager believes that no one else can do the job or do it as well as himself. Therefore, micromanagers do not delegate responsibility, and if they do, they subsequently carefully and to the smallest detail check the progress of work and the results obtained. The micromanager rejects any initiatives of employees. The main message of a working relationship is “The boss is always right!”. Micromanagement demoralizes and limits the personal development of employees and promotes the dismissal of the most promising ones. The subordinate of the micromanager simply closes in on himself, emotionally and intellectually withdraws from the work process, becomes inactive. As a rule, micromanagement interferes with the boss himself - his career growth quickly gets bogged down in the routine.
It is important to distinguish between improper interference in the work of subordinates from support and participation, although most of micromanagers sincerely believe that their management style is the best, and they do not even understand the damage they are doing to people, themselves and work processes.
Solution options. In this situation, it can be proposed to evaluate the work of the micromanager using the 360-degree method. This procedure in a gentle mode will help the micromanager to see himself from the outside, to find out how employees perceive and evaluate his behavior. There is another option for influencing the micromanager - transferring him to another position or limiting his impact on the team with his activities (for this, it is necessary to expand the powers of his deputy). Also look for a suitable candidate within the company, ready to replace the micromanager if necessary.
Irina Zykova,
PhD in Law, Leading Legal Counsel of FIOKAN (Moscow):
“Often, getting into a situation of psychological pressure from the boss, the employee sooner or later prefers to change his place of work “of his own” will, without waiting for a negative wording in the work book. But is this always the only possible option behavior? Generally recognized norms and principles international law are integral part legal system Russian Federation, and there are already precedents for applications by Russian citizens to the European Court of Human Rights on similar circumstances (see, for example, the judgment of July 30, 2009 in the case of Danilenkov and others v. the Russian Federation)**. An indirect reflection of these provisions is contained and in Russian legislation - Article 2 of the Labor Code establishes one of the basic principles of legal regulation of labor relations - ensuring the right of employees to protect their dignity during the period of employment.
One of the main forms of protection of violated rights is judicial, but here it must be remembered that, in accordance with the Code of Civil Procedure, each party must prove the circumstances to which it refers as the basis for its claims and objections (paragraph 1. article 56 Code of Civil Procedure of the Russian Federation). In other words, the employee must prove that he was provided with psychological impact and by this influence he was harmed. Prove your negative psychological condition it is possible by conducting a psychological examination, but how to prove the cause of such a condition seems very difficult, but not impossible - this requires an appropriate expert opinion. At the same time, it must be remembered that the court decision will be based on an analysis of the positions of both parties, and a situation is not ruled out when the employee may be wrong.”
Situation three. The strongest survives
In one large trading company, an atmosphere of rivalry is maintained, and the management, mostly male, observes employees from the outside, without delving into the processes within the team. There psychological pressure is just good way defend privileges, starting with a comfortable workplace in the office, an attractive project at work, and ending with trips on interesting business trips. All means were used: regular denunciations, open confrontation and all sorts of "fake" situations. As a result, the work became a game of survival and staff turnover began.
Solution option. Everyone knows that "the fish rots from the head." You must first change the process of communication and personnel management at the top level. The personnel department will have to operate with numbers and present them to the company's management. To do this, it is necessary to evaluate the costs of finding the necessary employees both in terms of time and in monetary terms, indicate in the report what risks the company bears, losing highly professional employees. It is also possible to offer the management to "change players on the field" - to rotate personnel in the company, since personnel stagnation is especially dangerous. All this will help reduce the intensity of passions and show the true capabilities of each employee.
Alena Prikhodko,
candidate of psychological sciences, psychologist (Moscow):
“The reason for any conflicts, in principle, is the clash of opposing points of view and the unwillingness of the parties to make concessions. Such unconstructive behavior often leads to aggressive behavior. Aggression can be both direct - "in the face", and indirect - "behind the eyes". Direct aggression, as a rule, is emotional - a person let off steam, freed himself from overwhelming feelings and calmed down. While indirect aggression is manifested consciously, and moreover, instrumentally, using resources. According to gender studies of emotional socialization, women are more aggressive than men, only their aggression is manifested at the verbal level and, as a rule, indirectly. However, there is evidence that emotions reflect the status of a person in a group, which means that a female boss acquires the right to express the emotion of the boss - anger and show aggression directly. social role greatly influences emotional sphere, and if the field of activity is associated with "male" professions, then the development male traits among women".
Situation four. Execution cannot be pardoned
In a manufacturing company where most of the employees are men, including near-retirement age, a young and energetic male manager was hired as the head of the unit. Half a year has passed, and the workers who worked half their lives at the enterprise began to get sick often, and one even ended up in the hospital with a heart attack. As it turned out, a new team of employees, who came along with the head, spread the rumor that a company renewal was coming and the “old men” would be demoted or fired as redundant.
Solution option. It is worth remembering that any change is a fear of the uncertainty of the future. If the tasks of top management do not include a radical renewal of the company's team, then it is important to talk with old employees and tell in detail about all the changes in the company, clarifying the prospects for almost each of them. Only open information will stop the spread of rumors and gossip.
Situation five. Women's confrontation
The women's team with a woman leader for several years lived in perfect harmony. But it so happened that the former leader left for family reasons to live abroad, and a new one was invited in her place, from outside. There was strong resistance among employees to the newly appointed boss. Any orders were ignored by subordinates, duties were performed formally.
Solution option. AT women's teams, where the leader is also a woman, the most high level emergence of psychological harassment and conflict situations. In this case, the new leader can be advised to honestly tell all employees that their behavior complicates her life, creates a non-working environment, and interferes with the performance of official duties. Such a provocative approach can dramatically improve the attitude of most employees towards the new leader.
Serious violations in the behavior of employees is not a problem of individual people, to a greater extent, it is a serious problem of the whole company. Update the company's personnel policy, improve the management skills of the management, and most importantly - always keep your finger on the pulse - be aware of all the processes taking place in the company.
* A micromanager is a leader whose management style leads to a decrease in the efficiency of a department or company, in which excessive control over subordinates is ignored Feedback and delegation of authority.
** The crux of the matter. In 2001, members of the dockers' trade union of the Kaliningrad port filed a complaint with the European Court, alleging that their rights to freedom of association and freedom from discrimination had been violated. On the part of the port management, unbearable conditions were created for workers - members of the trade union: working conditions were worsened (brigades were disbanded, qualified dockers were transferred to unskilled work, etc.), wages were reduced, unbearable psychological conditions at workplaces. On 30 July 2009 the Court decided to pay each applicant EUR 2,500 in respect of non-pecuniary damage.
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