Jessica HickmanThought Leader | TEDx Speaker | 2 x Author | Leadership

The Bystander Effect

Name: The Bystander Effect
Uploaded: 2023-02-15T05:00:06+00:00
Duration: 1 min 9 s
Channel: Jessica Hickman
Description: Jessica Hickman reported workplace bullying thirty-two times and was told to toughen up. She argues the bystander effect isn't malice but a lack of…

15 Feb 2023 · 1 min

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1:09

Jessica Hickman reported workplace bullying thirty-two times and was told to toughen up. She argues the bystander effect isn't malice but a lack of skills, and that training people to become upstanders who actually intervene can change workplace culture.

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In my own experience, I reported the bullying 32 times to corporate office, and 32 times I was told, "Toughen up, princess, it's the industry," or, "You look confident and strong, you're smiling." And ultimately, time and time again, nothing ever got done. And I scanned the room. How could good people allow this to happen so openly? And I realized there was a thing called the bystander effect present, where good people become passive bystanders. That those behaviours become the cultural norm, especially when, over time, you report them time and time again. And I just couldn't accept that as the status quo. So, throughout my work, I realised, "What happens if we focus on the upstander effect, building upstander leaders, people who could be cultural changemakers?" And I realised people fall into the bystander category. And it's easy to do, and you're right— It is easy to do. —good people can do it, and there's no malice in that. Absolutely, and look, I realize that people fall into the bystander category not because they're bad people, but because they haven't got the skills, the tools, the education, or capability to know how to be upstanders. And that's really what I focus on in my work.