Workplace Bullies – The Practical Joker

Case History I: The Practical Joker

The Incident

Mike had worked for his company for nearly 15 years. He had reached a level of middle management after ten years, but had been consistently passed over for promotion since then.

When Tim, an employee who had less seniority than Mike, was promoted to a position that Mike had applied for, he decided to retaliate. He spent an afternoon surfing the internet, using Tim’s name to request information and samples of sexual aids, information about impotence and anything else that he thinks might prove embarrassing to Tim.

Because he knows that Tim makes a habit of opening received mail during staff meetings, Mike requests that samples be sent to Tim at the office. He relishes Tim’s embarrassment and growing trepidation of what the morning mail will bring.

Tim’s Reaction

Once Tim got past the initial embarrassment of the situation, he asked his secretary to hold the mail till after morning staff meeting. Having dealt with the immediate incident, Tim is on alert that there may be a ‘bully’ on the staff.

To help identify the perpetrator of the ‘joke’, Tim contacts the companies from whom the information and samples were sent, requesting any assistance with identifying the person who ordered the items.

One company responds with the record of the original order form that includes the IP address and header information on the order form. Armed with that, the IT department is able to trace the order back to Mike.

The Process

While the incident originally appeared to be an isolated one, Tim started documenting any contacts he had with Mike. At the same time, he requested a meeting with Mike, and a representative of the Human Resources department. At the meeting, Tim calmly laid out the evidence, told Mike he was aware of his actions, and firmly requested that he refrain from making any further attempts to embarrass or undermine him.

He offered Mike the option of transferring out of his department without prejudice, or remaining with the department and making use of the Employee Assistance Program for counseling.

The Resolution

Confronted with the evidence, Mike admitted his actions and chose to stay in his department with counseling. Based on Mike’s admission, he was informed that any further substantiated reports of harassment or bullying on his part would result in suspension and possibly termination.

Not surprisingly, Mike’s coworkers noted a sudden cessation of a number of other anonymous ‘practical jokes’ at about the same time.