In a business office, Sam is given guidance on his work. He is told that the reports need more data from the new system and that there are some errors in the summary. He takes it to heart and works to implement the advice to complete the report to the satisfaction of his manager. A week later he is given further guidance on the reports which he incorporates into his workflow. He continues to work while incorporating the input he receives. He is receptive to ideas and willing to listen to instruction.
However, Brian works in the same office and the manager also approached him on his reports. He was told the same things as Sam about needing more data and that there were errors in his summary. He has been doing this for years and feels that the advice is unwarranted. He doesn’t see the value in adding more data, and continues to do the work as he always has.
His manager is not satisfied with the reports Brian submits and sits next to him to guide him through the tasks the way he wants it done. Brian feels singled out and is stressed that his manager is literally looking over his shoulder for each action. Once the report for that month is completed, Brian relaxes and returns to the style he is used to.
This causes the same manager to give more one-on-one guidance because he is concerned that Brian didn’t understand the task clearly, or had forgotten the previous month’s guidance. After a few rounds of this over several months, the manager is stressed and starts asking questions which Brian finds insulting. His advice becomes very sharp, saying things such as “Do I need to create a special manuel just for you!?” Brian now feels that there is a firm pattern of harassment. He’s clearly being micromanaged! Brian wonders why it’s only him being targeted…his manager never acts this way to Sam!
Is this harassment – or is it just Brian’s unwillingness to comply with the manager’s directions? This is not meant to play the Devil’s advocate, but rather to give a realistic view of the situation. It can be difficult to separate the facts from feelings when reporting the situation, which causes a lot of harassment cases to break down.
So how can workers protect themselves and ensure management is treating them fairly? The most important thing is to keep a journal of the facts: write down as soon as possible when and where something occurs, what exactly was said – no paraphrasing as emotion may taint it – and ask someone to review it critically. It’s necessary to establish a pattern, but also to address it quickly – you shouldn’t have to put up with extended periods of harassment.