I spoke with Prabha Nandagopal, a human rights and discrimination lawyer who has held senior positions at the Australian Human Rights Commission and now works at Elevate Consulting Partners, a company she founded in 2022.
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In her role, Nandagopal has spoken with hundreds of workers about their experiences of bullying, harassment and discrimination in the workplace.
“I’ve seen this [flipping the narrative] occur particularly where there’s a power imbalance, for example, between a junior and more senior colleague. This tactic can be a way to deflect accountability. [The abuser] may even use their position of power to recruit allies to strengthen their position.”
Your co-worker’s lies may not be the product of grand, sincerely held delusions, but they are clearly an attempt to construct a false version of past events. To answer your question directly, they’re not stuck in an alternative reality, but there is now an alternative history that they can point to as they attempt to gain support in your organisation for their insistence that they’re not the villain of the piece.
“Bullying often thrives in situations where there’s a power imbalance, but power isn’t always top-down – it can run in different directions. For example, women, people from culturally diverse backgrounds may be in a position of power but can experience marginalisation in the workplace,” Nandagopal told me.
Whether this response to your allegations is cunning and calculated or desperate, reflexive attempt to avoid responsibility, it’s all about creating noise and confusing the situation. Nandagopal’s advice is to fight lies with facts.
“While it’s deeply frustrating, focus on remaining factual and presenting clear evidence, where possible, and trust that HR or an independent investigator will see through the noise.”
Send your questions to Work Therapy by emailing jonathan@theinkbureau.com.au
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