MENU
Business.com aims to help business owners make informed decisions to support and grow their companies. We research and recommend products and services suitable for various business types, investing thousands of hours each year in this process.
As a business, we need to generate revenue to sustain our content. We have financial relationships with some companies we cover, earning commissions when readers purchase from our partners or share information about their needs. These relationships do not dictate our advice and recommendations. Our editorial team independently evaluates and recommends products and services based on their research and expertise. Learn more about our process and partners here.
Take a closer look at the psychology behind power abuse in the workplace, signs of power abuse and how to stop it.
Many professionals have witnessed power abuse in their careers, with 30 percent of United States employees reporting that they experienced bullying on the job, according to the Workplace Bullying Institute. Power abuse is all too common and it leaves a negative impact on both the victim as well as the workplace’s culture. It fosters an environment of toxicity and may decrease employee morale.
Here’s a look at the psychology behind power abuse, how to detect it in the workplace and why it persists.
Power abuse is an issue that most of us have experienced at some time, whether we acknowledge it publicly or not. Controversy and debate around this subject are gaining ground and interest constantly, especially in the workplace.
Abuse usually stems from someone who holds power, such as a boss, executive or manager. These individuals can apply pressure and bully their employees into difficult or stressful situations. Those who abuse their power may also surround themselves with other powerful people or sycophants, lowering the chance for helpful feedback and behavior callouts.
Abusive people gain and maintain power over their victim with controlling or coercive behavior and proceed to subject that person to psychological, physical, sexual or financial abuse. As we have seen from the media coverage of high-profile cases, this abuse can go on for years, is often ignored and may be encouraged by those surrounding the abuser. Not taking action to stop the abuse is a form of abuse itself.
In the workplace, people may abuse their power in several ways:
While it’s widely recognized, power abuse continues to be a prevalent issue in many workplaces for various reasons.
People don’t always realize they are the subject of power abuse. Sometimes, they assume their experiences are normal and not worth reporting. Other times, there isn’t a clear path to get help. Depending on who the perpetrator is, employees may not feel confident enough to report the problem or they may doubt their ability to “prove” it.
Witnesses, too, often hesitate to get involved when they recognize power abuse in the workplace. Many times, they feel uncertain about their role in the matter or assume that they are misunderstanding the situation, letting the issue persist.
Power abuse victims — and witnesses — are often deterred from coming forward due to the potential repercussions, such as legal issues, fear of being wrongfully blamed or job loss. Especially in instances where victims cannot report the situation anonymously, they may fear workplace ostracization and choose to endure the mistreatment instead. Financial responsibilities can also impact one’s ability to fight back as those with money or positions of power often have greater access to lawyers.
Victims may also worry that nothing will be done to help them, should they report the situation. If their claims aren’t taken seriously, a lack of consequences could empower the abuser further, leading to worse mistreatment than they’ve experienced already.
Understanding the psychology behind an abuser’s actions can help explain — but not excuse — why the abuse may continue and possibly increase.
Individuals who are abusive or have narcissistic tendencies may have a narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Research from the Cleveland Clinic shows that less than 5 percent of the population has NPD. Narcissists need to make themselves look impressive, crave admiration and power, lack empathy and often act arrogantly. When narcissistic behavior exists, you can see an increase in power abuse cases.
Abusers like to have support for their cause. Often, they can garner this support from subordinates and those in the workplace who are weak enough to fear that if they don’t join in, they will be the next victims. This approach can lead to a “group shun,” where an individual is gradually ostracized by others in the workplace. This slow, subtle tactic is hard for those on the outside to recognize, leading targeted individuals to feel isolated. Over time, this isolation can result in feelings of paranoia or delusion.
The group shun enables the abuser and helps them avoid blame. It pushes individuals to become accomplices, whether or not they agree, to avoid rocking the boat and protect their jobs.
In a working environment, the abuse of power against staff can manifest in various harmful ways.
Employees are less likely to be productive and engaged in the workplace when they’re constantly anxious over how their bully will treat them. Power abuse can greatly impact an employee’s mental energy, leading to a loss of time and motivation to get work done — or to do it well. It can also result in more absenteeism and overall disconnection from the workplace as victims find themselves feeling isolated or lacking support from those around them.
Power abuse can create a hostile work environment where employees are uncomfortable expressing themselves or speaking out when they witness wrongdoings. This lack of open communication can lead to severe stress and reduce employees’ physical and mental well-being.
Over time, this stressful environment can take a toll on an employee’s health. Victims may begin to experience medical issues including mental health challenges, weakened immune systems and sleep disorders — all of which can lead to increased healthcare costs for employers.
Reduced morale and a lack of employee well-being due to power abuse can drive many to search for new jobs. Especially in situations where the abuser stays in power, people may choose to quit rather than continue to endure the abuse, aware that the company isn’t implementing meaningful changes.
On top of potentially losing key employees, this increased turnover comes with associated costs that can negatively affect a business’s profitability. Companies face financial burdens from offboarding and onboarding expenses when hiring replacements for departing staff.
Depending on the situation at hand, a wrongfully treated employee may choose to sue. Pursuing legal action will depend on what happened and whether the company did anything about it. For example, an employer cannot be blamed for the abuse if they weren’t made aware of the situation. However, an employee may take legal action if they can prove the company ignored their situation and that the abuse targeted a protected characteristic, including disabilities, sexual orientation or race.
Stopping power abuse and bullying in the workplace means implementing education and enacting support systems at an organizational level. Simply having a policy in place doesn’t always help ― where policies do exist, they are often ignored or ineffective.
Consider the following tools to stop the abuse of power in the workplace:
When regulation fails, we need to revert to character and herein lies the ethical challenge. Character is borne out of moral virtue, courage and honor. In this case, we need to ensure we are building employees of character ― those who dare to stand up for others and themselves and courage from organizations to reward those who do.
The culture of an organization must have systems in place to encourage employees to be aware of behaviors or influences that may not be acceptable as well as speak up about those behaviors. Organizational leaders, regulators and business schools need to step up, enforce policies, be aware and understand the implications and risks of what is going on in their own organizations and the liabilities that they face. Individuals need to show courage not to participate, to call out bad behavior and when faced with the situation themselves, have the language to articulate what is going on clearly.
Petrina Coventry contributed to this article.