Why should we have to take the heat?
SEIZING lapels, thumping car seats, turfing typists out of their chairs and shoving people aside.
Such are the allegations levelled against Gordon Brown in a new book.
None of this is very encouraging. But nor is it so surprising, and for many people with direct experience of bulling in the workplace, it will seem small beer.
There's not much in Gordon Brown's behaviour that I've not been on the receiving end of in the hells of the various kitchens I worked in during summer breaks as at university.
As a long-haired literature student who, when I first started, could scarcely peel an onion without causing a gory scramble for the first aid kit, I was bound to get on the nerves of some of the chefs.
But it's not just me. chefs, at least male ones, are often bullies and sometimes proud of it.
Do they fear that they spend their time doing something a bit girly, and so need to compensate with macho posturing?
A friend of mine with a family member who works as a chef reports that he's been known to make junior staff stand in the corner like naughty school kids.
Should this be tolerated? And if we read such behaviour as mere commitment to quality, should staff just do what Peter Mandleson says he did when on the receiving end of Gordon Brown's temper and take their medicine like men?
There are signs that as a society we take bullying more seriously. Schools often have anti-bullying weeks and explore the subject through drama.
There is perhaps more of a need for schools to be mindful of bullying now that, with Facebook and text messaging, bullies have more far-reaching, high-tech weapons in their arsenals, which can extend their pernicious reach into the home lives of their victims.But there's a case to be made that TV has made bullying more acceptable.
From the fiercely intimidating Alan – sorry, 'Sir' Alan Sugar, – to the f-ing and blinding of Gordon Ramsey, the withering put-downs of Simon Cowell, not to mention the hot air and flying expletives of the Big Brother house, anyone who watches reality TV will have been exposed to examples of abrasive behaviour in people we're supposed to admire. I'm not saying Gordon Brown is taking reality TV as a cue for how to behave; I suspect his is a temperamental flaw exacerbated by stress and fatigue.
But there is something hypocritical about a society that on the one hand makes celebrities out of volcanic, potty-mouthed cooks, and on another hounds a prime minister who is prone to flashes of temper.
For their part, employers accused of bullying usually say they are merely 'passionate' about getting the best out of their staff. Often, though, bullying is a sign of weakness rather than strength.
My friend with the chef brother says his behaviour arises from a fear of not being taken seriously.
In spite of having won awards, it rankles that people don't see cooking as a prestigious vocation.
And there I was thinking that chefs have never enjoyed as much respect as they do now.
Maybe bullies' behaviour arises from insecurity.
It would certainly make sense in the case of Gordon Brown, who has much to feel insecure about.
awolstenholme@ywng.co.uk
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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