As new talent joins the organization, the old guard is threatened. As a default, the ‘lifers’ have a tendency to pull rank, to establish who is boss and to squish any iota of enthusiasm from the new, motivated people.
“This is how we do things here,” is a common stance and the next step is to play judge and jury with every aspect of office life. In some cases the bullies bring new hires to tears, and the weak ones want to leave.
This nonsense must stop, and corrective action must come quickly and decisively. Those in charge must address the issue proactively and their inability, or unwillingness, to do so is a major failure in leadership.
Being the school yard bully is an act of cowardice. It’s easy to pick on the new, insecure, kid on the block. It takes courage to welcome new members to the family and to strengthen the bonds of an organizations culture. Maybe the incompetent bullies should focus on getting some work done, and keep their nose in their own business.
About Hemant Rustogi