DEAR HARRIETTE: I witnessed horrific behavior by the leader of a work project to a summer intern. The project leader was rude and condescending in the most unprofessional ways to a young woman who had come to volunteer for the summer and who was trying her best to complete the task at hand. The project leader has been known to berate people sometimes, but this was out of control.
When we had a private moment, I reached out to the young woman to make sure she was OK; she was not. She has since left the company to go back to college, but the damage was done. What else can I do to support her? Saying something to the project leader probably won’t do a thing. She is bull-headed and mean. Since I need my job, I’m afraid to approach her. Our company is small, so we don’t have a human resources director. How can I help? -- Not a Bystander
DEAR NOT A BYSTANDER: Sometimes you have to stand in harm’s way to effect change. You say you are afraid to speak up because you could lose your job. It’s likely that the reason this woman continues to go off on people is because others have been afraid to stand up to her.
Since the young woman is already gone, you can wait until the next time this woman bullies someone and speak up to defend the other person. You can use a lighthearted tone, asking the boss to lay off the person, or you can be more sober about it and speak to her privately and ask if she would consider being less caustic when dealing with employees. Tell her how uncomfortable the interaction made you feel, and point out that it’s hard for people to be productive when they feel they can do nothing right.
(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)