Thoughts on Massey Energy's Massive Negligence

Massey CEO Don Blackenship

This report from 60 Minutes is infuriating, saddening and worth watching. The disaster in the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia, which claimed 29 lives, was entirely preventable. Forcing miners to work in conditions where the air is so thick with coal dust that they can’t see their own hands in front of their faces is one insult, but the reports of a culture built on falsifying safety records in the interest of profits adds insult to injury. The miners, who remain un-unionized, only have federal mine inspectors to turn to, but an environment of bullying and fear of retaliation prevented reports of the rampant safety violations in place at Massey Energy’s mines. The corporate culture of disrespect, greed and a blatant disregard for employee wellbeing is completely attributable to Massey Energy’s CEO, Don Blackenship, who can only be sentenced to one year in jail for his deadly and willful negligence. One victim’s family member called that a “perversion of justice,” and I think, if anything, that’s an understatement. Watch and read at CBS News.

Photo Credit: Don Blackenship from Getty Images

WestJet and Sexual Assault

This situation is twisted, and entirely too common in a variety of industries. After having to come through the experience of sexual assault, this flight attendant was then fired for trying to find out why her attacker was not punished for previous sexual harassment claims. Issues of a sexual nature should be taken as seriously as any other workplace harassment claims, but far too often they result in indifference, ignorance and denial. Read more at The Globe and Mail.

Canine Therapy

I love this article. I know firsthand how dogs can help heal someone, and have advised many people I’ve met with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to consider canine therapy. Canine therapy, and any kind of contact with therapy animals, can make a substantive difference for people suffering from a variety of conditions. Check out more at The New York Times.

Art Credit: Paul Rogers for NYT

360 Reviews and Workplace Bullying

In my opinion, 360 reviews can very easily turn into workplace bullying. These kinds of reviews consist of anonymous feedback from supervisors, peers and subordinate employees, and this combination sometimes leads to perceived “payback” in the form of severe or unfair commentary. It’s a feedback mechanism used by thousands of organizations, and in toxic workplace cultures, it leads to vitriolic bullying most of the time. Read more about these reviews at The New York Times.

Art Credit: Jacob Reeves for NYT

Comparing Entertainment Scandals Through Time

The more I learn about the BBC sex abuse scandal, the more I am reminded of the 2014 CBC Jian Ghomeshi scandal, which I’ve written about before. Both cases involve sex abuse, fame and what appears to be willful ignorance on the part of upper management. The practice of allowing star employees are allowed to harass others with impunity is a horrible tendency that some workplace cultures seem to be taking on in the entertainment industry. The only true substantive difference between these two cases is the time in which they took place – Saville’s abuses happened decades ago, while Ghomeshi’s are more recent. This is an ongoing problem that entertainment industry leaders cannot ignore, and need to take a firmer stand against. Read more on the Saville case at the New York Times.

White Supremacists Were the Big Winners in Yesterday's Vote

Black Lives Matter protesters at a February 29, 2016 Trump rally, shortly before being escorted out of the venue.

For the GOP and the mainstream media, the elephant in the room is the white supremacist movement. The GOP leadership, Rubio, Cruz and the mainstream media should acknowledge this horrible reality. The reason there is a reluctance to confront this is the risk of alienating the extreme fundamentalist Christians who are at the core of this movement and view Trump as their savior.

For months, Trump’s outrageous hate-mongering comments run parallel to the white supremacist agenda, largely without real challenge. An example of this can be found in an article in the February 1 issue of The New Yorker called “The Duel” by Ryan Lizza, which analyzes what resonates with voters. The article reports: "Trump fans tend to express little regard for political norms. They cheer at his most outlandish statements. O'Reilly (Fox News) asked Trump if he meant it when he said that he would 'take out' the family members of terrorists. He (O'Reilly) didn't believe that Trump would 'put a hit on women and children' if he were elected. Trump replied 'I would do some pretty severe stuff.' The Mesa crowd erupted in applause 'Yea, Baby!' a man near me yelled. I had never previously been to a political event at which people cheered for the murder of women and children." Trump's comments and the barbaric responses of his racist followers is exactly what occurred in Germany in the early thirties.

This incident, and many others like it, where Trump's racist, hate-mongering comments and the racism of his supporters have been well documented; yet, the GOP establishment, the candidates and the mainstream media have been far too timid in challenging this. Trump and his racist supporters must be called out for who and what they are; if they are not, after November, Americans will likely be required to salute Trump by declaring "Sieg Heil", which I am sure many white supremacists did last night.

In my Monday blog post, "FALLING INTO THE BULLY'S TRAP - BULLYING IN REAL TIME ON PRIME TIME," I indicated that it is fortunate that Trump, unlike many bullies, is very transparent. There is no ambiguity on what he stands for and what he has the potential of doing. Even last night this transparency showed when he called himself “a unifier,” and went on to say of House Speaker Paul Ryan: “I'm sure I'm going to get along with him (Ryan), and if I don't, he's going to pay a big price.” This is a threat, and should be reacted to as such! This is also a reflection of what he will do to anyone who stands in his way.

If someone in the GOP were to, in very quick order, produce a documentary called "In Trump’s Own Words – How The Republicans Are Falling Into the Bully's Trap," it would more effectively expose Trump and white supremacists for who they are, and the huge damage they have the potential of doing.

My ninety-seven year old mother lived through the horrors of the Nazi regime in The Netherlands. She indicated her hope that Americans will not have to reflect, with regret, on the poem by Martin Niemoller:

“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Replace “communists” with "undocumented immigrants,” “trade unions” with “dissenters,” and “Jews” with “Muslims.” Niemoller's observations hold great potential for regretful reflection during a Trump presidency. 

Photo: Reuters, taken from The Daily Mail

Falling Into the Bully's Trap: Bullying in Real Time on Prime Time

As an expert in bullying, I am as astounded by how a bully has entrapped so many in such a short period of time. What is even more astounding is the lack of understanding and appreciation on how dangerous bullies are, and in this instance the potential of turning a democracy into a dictatorship.

Bullying is all about power and control. Bullies are calculating masters of deflection who deceive and manipulate to achieve their ends. Donald Trump, now partnering up with another renowned bully, Chris Christie, has and continues to bully his way to the most powerful position in the world. Christie's endorsement of Trump validates what Trump is leveraging: anger at, disdain for and distrust in the establishment candidates. Trump’s bluster and outrageous statements continue to resonate because he is perceived to tell it like it is. What is missing is an effective offence that convinces the populace that most of what he preaches is a blatant distortion of the facts, and how dangerous he is.

Until the Republican debate on Thursday night when Marco Rubio took on Donald Trump, the mainstream media and the other candidates allowed Trump to go unchecked. Predictably, Trump, using childish school yard bullying tactics, shifted his focus from Ted Cruz to Rubio. Rather than challenging political positions, tried to discredit him by ranting about things like Rubio sweating and drinking too much water, as though they were akin to treason. Unfortunately, Rubio, rather than being more substantive in challenging Trump on his bigotry, racial slurs, intolerance of dissenting viewpoints, inconsistencies, and inflammatory and extreme positions, fell into the bully's trap by taunting Trump on things that have nothing whatsoever to do with his character, capability, qualification or temperament to be the leader of the free world.

An opinion piece called 'Trump Agonistes' in the February 27 - 28, 2016 Wall Street Journal, provides a balanced perspective on how Trump’s competitors are trying to expose his weaknesses. More importantly and worrisome is how Trump is unable to tolerate any kind of criticism or dissent.

To illustrate this, consider a disturbing piece on the front page of last Saturday's New York Times called ‘To Fight Critics, Donald Trump Aims to Instill Fear in 140-Character Doses’ by Alexander Burns and Maggie Haberman, reports how Cheri Jacobus, a Republican political strategist, was viciously and personally attacked by Trump, his campaign manager and Trumps followers: "For days they replied to his posts with demeaning, often sexually charged insults aimed at Ms. Jacobus, including several with altered, vulgar photographs of her face." This example is a classic case of how a bully retaliates and is why so few have been courageous enough to expose him. Yes he is feared because people do not want to endure his wrath and this is perfectly understandable. To date, his wrath has just been an articulation, what should be feared is what he could potentially do if he is elected.

Usually bullies are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Fortunately, Trump is more transparent in that what you see and hear is what you get. By being transparent, Trump is also predictable. This predictability offers the populous a view into what could happen if Trump becomes President.

Consider – his threat to sue the New York Times for trying to expose him. As President, will he dilute the first amendment?

Consider – his promise to deport eleven million undocumented immigrants. If he is unsuccessful, will he, as Hitler did, find a final solution?

Consider – his position on Muslims. Will we see a return of internment camps?

Consider – his intolerance of anyone who opposes him. Will we see a return of McCarthyism?

Consider – his high regard for Vladimir Putin. Will he become a Putin?

Consider – his refusal to denounce the endorsement of the KKK. Will they influence the government's agenda?

Consider – his position on free trade. If Canada and Mexico resist, will they be annexed?

Consider – his comment "I love the uneducated.” Will we see a U.S. version of Hitler's Brownshirt movement?

Consider – his obsession with winning. If four years from now, his power and control is at risk, will he abolish the next election?

As indicated at the outset, I am a bullying expert and I know what bullies are capable of and the horrors and damages they can inflict. I also believe in thinking in time. Pre-World War II, in Europe many fell into the bully’s trap. In the early 50's, many in the United States fell into the bully’s trap as well.

All that I can now do is implore Americans to think in time to prevent history from repeating itself.

Thai Workers on Israeli Farms

The conditions on these Israeli farms, if true, constitute modern day slavery. These Thai workers are forced to work unconscionable hours, and much of their pay is “sent back to Thailand” by their employers – though they have no way of verifying that. Additionally, they’re paid far less than the minimum wage, and are oftentimes forced to sleep in former animal shacks and containers that used to store chemicals. Workers feel like money-making objects for their employers, and have no recourse to ask for help or a fair shake. This is a horrible way to treat workers, and deserves more investigation. Read more at BBC News.

Photo Credit: BBC News

Bullying: One Of The Greatest Risks To The Organization

I recently wrote a featured piece for Directors & Boards about workplace bullying's harmful impact on organizations. Here is the first paragraph:

Rarely a day goes by when there is not a story in the media about abuse of power, inappropriate behavior, and corruption and greed on the part of leadership in every segment of our society worldwide. Whether it is business, industry, government, military, police services, education, law, social services, health care, sports, journalism, media or religion, none have been immune...

Read the rest here!  

Emotion Revolution in the Workplace

Dr. Marc Brackett, Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, announcing the new initiative.

I'm proud to announce a joint initiative with The Faas Foundation and the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence to create the Emotion Revolution in the Workplace. In order to build positive work climates, this groundbreaking initiative between business and academia will investigate the role emotions play in the work environment, including:

• How employees feel about their work
• Why they feel the way they do
• The impact emotions have on individual and organizational performance, overall health, and well-being
• How to effectively build positive workplace climates

"We are excited that The Faas Foundation has decided to partner with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence to bring emotional intelligence into the workplace. Last year, we successfully launched the Emotion Revolution in school settings with the Born this Way Foundation, founded by Lady Gaga and her mom, Cynthia Germanotta. Now with support from the Faas Foundation we can launch the Emotion Revolution in the Workplace in order to promote psychologically safe and healthy workplaces for all employees," said Dr. Marc Brackett, Director of Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.

The project's mission is to empower employees at all levels to increase their engagement, productivity and wellness through identifying and reducing unnecessary stressors in the workplace. To accomplish this, the Emotion Revolution in the Workplace will conduct a survey of 10,000 employees across North America beginning May 2016.

The need for an Emotion Revolution in the Workplace is greater than ever before.  Gallup reports that 70 percent of American workers aren't engaged and a Stanford University study indicates that more than 120,000 deaths may be attributable to workplace stress. Up until now, it's been difficult for business, industry and politicians to gauge the perspective of the working class. Because of that it's been difficult to break the code in order to quantify the value of workplace culture.

By collecting anonymous data about these conditions, this initiative will be able to further the scientific understanding of how to effectively build positive and productive work climates and connect workers with the emotional tools they need to reach their potential and achieve healthy and happy lives.