Thanks to courageous testimonials, harassment in the workplace is no longer as taboo as it once was, and that's good news when you know that it can destroy the mental health and the physical health of those who are victimized. In the collective imagination – and it is perhaps on this point that mentalities must evolve – the executioner is a misogynistic man who takes malicious pleasure in humiliating female employees whom he considers ineffective. In reality, the cases differ and a recent study highlights a pattern that is much less talked about:women who harass other women in the professional environment. Published in the scientific journal Development and Learning in Organisations , research by Tech Women Today finds that 70% of female executives admitted to being harassed in the workplace by a co-worker, which hindered their progress within the company. According to the London consultant Cecilia Harvey who participated in the study, it is even “the main obstacle to the progress of women at work”. Yes, it is very serious.
The phenomenon, dubbed 'Queen Bee Syndrome', refers to a woman who treats a female colleague unfairly, either because she puts her down on a daily basis or because she uses her position to manipulate others. and convince them that the employee in question is worthless. The "queen bees" would constitute 58% of harassers at work and would choose a female target in 90% of cases. Cecilia Harvey, who has herself suffered from these disturbing behaviors, says that they can have a general negative impact on the company:they reduce productivity, profitability and employee satisfaction. “Leadership teams need to have a more realistic picture of some women who tend to be aggressive or use and abuse victimization […] If companies want to increase the number of female executives, then they need to consider the queen bee syndrome problem “, concludes the young woman. And you, have you ever experienced this situation at work?
