It is common knowledge that most studies and presentations include statistical data in order to illustrate the reasoning behind them and to verify their findings.
Statistics can determine one’s decision to go ahead with a plan, corroborate a theory or opinion, portray a fact of life.
Most of the times the figures are presented in a pompous manner so that the significance of a study can be highlighted or the necessity of an action be justified.
Over the years, numerous studies on the phenomenon of workplace bullying and mobbing have been conducted, especially in the USA.
The statistics show that 35% of employees have been targeted by bullies at their workplace. Given that the number of employees in Greece is roughly 3,000,000, the percentage translates to 1,050,000 people.
When statistics provide a real number, we are left in awe and fear.
35% suddenly becomes 1,050.000 and now it seems that the figure has taken a human form. But there is more to that: If you experience workplace bullying, you start to feel that you are the statistics, you are the figure… you automatically become a 100% percentage in statistics.
Life is real and what you experience is real. By contrast, statistics is a science that describes a situation.
It is an image. It is not LIFE.
If you don’t intend to give up on life, the situation can be reversed. The goal is to overcome the difficulties by learning how to prevent and manage workplace bullying. Always remember that you are NOT a number, you are people. And people are not statistics.