Mouthy Bully Bosses beware

Finally the bully bosses are being hauled to account, with the University of the Sunshine Coast yesterday ordered to pay $364,000 in damages after an ‘executive’ verbally abused a female security guard in 2008. Mark Bradley was named as the assailant, and the university failed to properly investigate the guard’s complaint that he yelled and screamed at her whilst waving his arms. He was described in court as a ‘very direct, hands-on person’. It is unknown whether he remains employed anywhere, or is contrite for his disgusting behavior.

More dramatically, former WIN TV executive Rod Hockey will be paid hundreds of thousands of dollars after winning his breach-of-contract case against the network in the Federal Court.

Mr Hockey claimed during the case that WIN TV’s owner Bruce Gordon had bullied him and referred to him as the “manager of the toilet rolls and the weeds”.

His lawsuit claimed Bruce Gordon had used abusive language against himself and others, fairly regularly.

CX fondly recalls gentle ribbing, and a philosophy of witty abuse as part of the culture backstage. We also note a long roll call of psychotic and unstable individuals, often fueled by amphetamines and/or fatigue who abused, bullied and belittled many innocents over the years. The few that remain have generally mellowed with age or adapted to the ‘new accountability’ that our legal system and social media networks require.

Abuse, mind games and superiority complexes have no place in any modern workplace, and just in case anyone wonders, every stage is a workplace.

Good old days? No way. Bring on a gentler, more accountable era where everyone is recognised as an individual, repected for their strengths, and assisted with improvement in a positive way.