Managing career aspirations and workplace bullying.

To quit or not to quit.

At some point in our careers, we like to think that our work contributes to some greater good and that we're not just there to exchange our time for money.

I often hear stories of people who have to put up with all sorts of disrespectful incidents and behaviours at work because they believed their work was too important, and too impactful to walk away or quit. In a lot of cases, that may well be the right thing to do, after-all, having a sense of personal accomplishment often outweighs the peer pressure. However, I think there's a pretty strong argument against putting up with it as well and here are a few reasons:

Not all people treat others with respect all the time.

They can be selective, especially when they need something from that person. When they don't need you, they can flip from being respectful to being cruel. If your personal belief is that the importance of your work and it's impact is too important, then it offers these people an avenue for attack.

These people tend to respond to incentives. Especially when they see that you will quit if your well being isn't taken seriously. However, if you continue to take the onslaught, then they'll keep dishing it until they hit the limit of what you're able to deal with.

Essentially it boils down to this: If you accept no amount of work place abuse or bullying, not even once, then you'll have a little bit of inconvenience but be bullied much less often.

Often, we are just too enamoured with our work to see how we fit into the complex cogs and wheels of the organisation. This is also the reason why we fail to see how leaving an undesirable work situation may help fix the underlying problem within the organisation. Even on a simple rational basis, if the staff of a particular line manager keep quitting as reporting their dissatisfaction with how they were managed, it won't be long until that line manager will be replaced or reduced in their responsibilities.

Weighing up the opportunity cost is important. If you have to deal with work unpleasantness at a reasonable cost to you - one that is more valuable to you over the cost of quitting - then the argument above doesn't apply. We often see periods of bonding take place between team members and as long as individuals wellbeing are being respected and considered, then there is no immediate need to quit.

Burnout from resisting conflict.

People are overconfident with their ability to "put up" with interpersonal conflict without eventually burning out. This is actually one of the easiest ways people fall prey to mental health issues that can lead to the lowering of wellbeing and roadblocks in career development. In worse cases, it can even end someones career entirely.

Reduced work efficiency and personal development.

Under a strained interpersonal relationship with co-workers, people are often the least efficient, least productive. This means not doing the best work, not forming the kind of connections with people you need, not learning the most you can. This is all because of the persistent anxiety from work place dispute. Instead of working on your passion, it becomes a grind.

Setting a harmonious work culture.

Positive office culture is important for maintaining good work morale across the organisation. This starts with setting good cultural norms for yourself and the people you work with.

This precedent is important because like the rest of society, an organisation, and specifically, a team within this organisation will encompass people with more tolerance towards abuse, as well as those who do the abusing. If people get the impression that the culture of work place abuse and cruelty is tolerated within the organisation, then this can lead to lowered productivity in the long run.

Making a stand for yourself can have a wider cultural impact within the organisation. It can ever set the stage for wider social impact in the industry.

Final thoughts.

Tackling work place conflict is easier said than done, and taking the step to quit is even harder. It goes without saying that this step will not be easy for most people and thus might be the hardest last hurdle to cross.

However, taking some perspective on how your overall career is going is going to make this transition easier. If your career is stalling as a result of these conflicts, then your next option is also being stalled. Of course, if your career is going well, then you'll have a better next option and will be more resistant to bad situations at work.

Most of the time, people struggle because of financial vulnerability and this is how people at work exploit that. If you're stuck in that position, then you will need to work out a formulated plan to escape from bad management or abusive colleagues as soon as you possibly can.

Sharing your experiences promotes a positive feed back mechanism that encourages others to not only identify and therefore reject working at the organisation, but also to speak out about potential work place issues at organisations you might be interested in joining.

Like with anything else, it's always best to not put all your eggs in one basket. Always look for a backup option in case things turn south. You can then have a credible threat to quit if you are experiencing bullying at work.