Home > Opinion > Bonnie Erbe > Why Do Women Bully Women in the Workplace? They're Easier Targets.

Why Do Women Bully Women in the Workplace? They're Easier Targets.

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no. The good prevails.

Jennifer of TX 1:46PM May 08, 2012

There's a very unsavory element (as if woman on woman bullying wasn't unsavory enough) to this problem that gets ignored with monotonous regularity and that's the sexual one. I'd have to say (based on 33 years in the professional workforce) that this is far and away the most frustrating type of sexual harrassment, primarily because it's nearly impossible to prove. (Ever try establishing motive without physical evidence? Exactly.) A large percentage of women are jealous in a non-professional credential sense of those whom they perceive as more desirable in a sexual sense, and the behaviors manifested by those affected in this way are positively devastating to the overall workplace environment. But aside from anecdotes and "wink wink nod nod" acknowledgement from senior managers when confronted with the topic, it's never, ever addressed. The "mean girl" theme is the stuff of legend among office professionals, yet most companies ethics or equal opportunity literature give it nary a paragraph of acknowledgement. And why? Because the political incorrectness of this topic is through the roof. Men see this and comment privately on incredibly difficult woman on woman bullying can make running a business, yet it goes on unchallenged. I wonder, do women admit to the existence of this dynamic and, if so, what in your mind is the best remedy when it's encountered?

steve of VA 6:53AM May 16, 2010

simply put the corporate world cares nothing about the health and well being of their employees, the bottom line is their profits and their reputations. if you report being targeted in the workplace their response is to get rid of you, so until our legislatures enact a bill to make bullying illegal employers will continue to close their eyes to this growing problem. the outrageous treatment i endured at the hands of my co-workers and immediate supervisor nearly cost me my life, i did not know at the time that there was a name for it, everyday i wondered what was wrong with those people, why were they so immature, why do they continue to taunt and intimidate me? i mean they really were relentless and cunning they would ridicule and low rate me right in my face and when i complained they would deny their actions and claim that they had no idea what i was talking about, as soon as they left the office they would continue taunting me by saying i had no proof and no one would believe me as long as they stuck together. these monsters are now on a campaign to make everyone believe that im crazy when in fact they are the psychopaths.what employers need to realize is not everyone is going to suffer in silence, or quit their jobs, some targets are going to fight back. i cant find anyone in my area that is willing to advocate on a state of federal level but, i wont give up, i have to get my story out there i want to prevent someone else from becoming a target. to those people out there that consider us to be whiners, i wish you could have lived through the pure hell i endured for nearly a year and then tell me how you feel, knowing that if you confront these liars, you will probably be the one terminated. there has to be a law.

courtney of SC 9:40AM November 21, 2009

I am going through this myself. I am a 56 year old female with an exemplary career until last year when everything collapsed as well as my sales figures, but it isn't because I am a bad employee. In fact, I received a promotion 6 months prior and now I am a target. Bullying in the workplace of 50+ year old employees is real and I plan to do something about it. This has to stop. I have a boss 35 years old and I am considered obsolete even though I have more experience and more success than this person. Shocking in this great country this is allowed. Join me in this fight. There is strength in numbers. Let's stop fighting each other and stop calling each other names. That doesn't do anyone any good. Treat each other as you would like to be treated. Don't be like everyone else. It's a free country and everyone is entitled to their opinion. I am here to confirm big business is about money not matter how good you are at your job if you are 50+ and have been on board a long time (me going on 12 years) and done a great job, you are target because you are too old and cost too much.

Katie Marie of OH 9:04AM October 20, 2009

I think that this is a very good contribution to a very real problem in business. It is especially obvious whether male or female dominated in organizations where the IT staff is an internal service division. The employees with seniority who have been forced to now show real value in an organization where they use to just hang out are forced to save their jobs by hiring unskilled robots to just keep there mouth shut and follow very inefficient control mechanisms such as approval processes for things that don't even make sense.
Let's not get caught up in the he/she battle, but instead let's bond together (like the bully and his/her programmed non-thinkers) to fight this bully cultural who stand behind the disguise of "Teamwork".

LCC/MBA of NJ 11:54AM August 29, 2009

You are clearly biased and completely quite inactive in the brain to write such a stoopid, sexist comment online. If I were to say how pathetic all of the human race is who has mostly flooded with testosterone,and how they are destoying everything they possibly can on a subconscious level, are selfish evil pigs, and a whole multitude of other things, how do you react?
EEEdiot!

BH of KS 6:05AM June 20, 2009

Sam - there are middle eastern countries where people holding your beliefs about women in the workplace can live. I suggest you go there...or perhaps pull your head out of your a** and join the rest of civilization by accepting that women are just as valuable as men in the workplace. There are different communication styles and workplace issues across genders. Bullying isn't a female only problem (I suspect you know that only too well).

Tracy of MN 3:23PM June 11, 2009

The workplace is no place for sexual social climbing. Women don't belong in the workplace, period. They can't do labor and they're too emotional for executive decisions, so they all get stuck in middle management positions where they can "do no harm". Unfortunately, they do do harm. Employers have to pay salaries, taxes, benefits, health insurance, and 401K contributions, and experience lack of any real productivity or contributions to the company, all so women can text on their phones, chat on the computer, update their facebook profiles, or mess everything up if they actually try to do real work. Women cost companies and tax payers millions and bring nothing to the table, except disrupt the men around them who are trying to work by wearing provocative outfits, chatting like crazy, and stirring social mania with their high school-minded cat fights. Not to mention that women who work all get divorced and leave society to take care of their maladjusted children. All of this postmodern feminism will catch up with the economy. It already is.

Sam of MI 10:35AM June 11, 2009

I have been subjected to this type of thing when I was at work, I am now retired. I worked in an office in my local town about 20 years ago, I was not the only person who was bullied in my office, we had temps who only stayed a few days because they couldn't stand the bullies and hated the job which was helping me do clerical work. The people who were doing the bullying where mostly an older woman and a younger woman they had made one young woman really unhappy talking about her to others so she could hear them and reporting her to the manager for no reason, I went to see the manager but he didn't seem interested, so this went on. Many people walked out from the office, in the end I left myself as I just couldn't stand it anymore. I don't really understand these type of people they are very nasty to others maybe it is the green eyed monster rearing it's ugly head. They need to get a life and respect others more in my opinion.

Carole Heath 12:09PM June 01, 2009

Due to the current economy, I was forced into taking a job as an administrative assistant (while I already had a Masters degree in management and an undergraduate degree from a top university). Humiliating as it was, I decided to try to make the best of it.
My co-worker was a career secretary in her 60s with no college education (although she is more than qualified via work experience and is a very competent woman in her own right). From day one she has viewed me as a threat and spread slanderous rumors and tried to get other people to join in on ganging up on me. I mentioned my concern to a supervisor approximately one year ago and nothing came of it and decided to drop the issue. I have spent the past year and a half essentially-running from her.
I was cut in the most recent round of lay-offs at my company. (In part, I believe due to her bullying and lies). While I view this as a mixed blessing, I am having some difficulty - I am working through June 1 at the office and then I may retrieve severance and unemployment payments. The problem is - even though I am on my way out, she has dramatically increased the attacks and has many on my team joining in. I addressed her yesterday by nicely and calmly saying that I've heard some rumors that she has said some things about me and I requested that she address me directly so that I may moderate my behavior if something is bothering her (completely rational request/ solution - no?) Her response - she wasn't going to stop because I'm out in two weeks anyway.
I'm trying to learn from this experience - my technique was to go to the supervisor because my bully was somewhat unreasonable, he refused to address the issue and I eventually, addressed the issue myself but without success.
What would you have done differently? Are there some people that you just can't reason with?

kristina of Boston of MA 4:00AM May 20, 2009