World Cup Winners?

Sadly, it wasn't England who won the World Cup. It was Spain, and they deserved it. Then a public example of workplace bullying played out and continues to send ripples through the footballing world, with the Spanish team effectively resigning, the Spanish Football Federation applauding and supporting Mr Rubiales and then calling for him to resign, and his mother locking herself in a church and starting a hunger strike.

Anyone who has experienced bullying in the workplace will understand the imbalance of power at the moment of the 'kiss', when the perpetrator commits an act (assault, belittling, harassment, threats) under the guise of normal behaviour in the workplace. In this case the assault by Rubiales was followed by Gaslighting in public - 'it was just normal behaviour', justification - 'everyone does it, it is harmless', the assumption of support from others - 'my daughters were OK with it' and victim blaming - 'she gave consent' and worse, 'she is lying about it'. Finally, there are intrusive comments about her personal life - "is she married?", "is she gay?" - that are no one's business.

I hope that, as this story unfolds, it will not be confined to football, as it speaks to a wider issue of harassment and bullying, whether (in this case) gender-based, but generally feeding on power differentials. Such acts are commonplace in workplaces all over the world, particularly in the NHS as we have seen recently with the Letby case. Most people are not assaulted, harassed or humiliated on live television; Ms Hermoso has rightly had a huge outpouring of support from the football community and beyond. There are others who have to suffer these indignities out of the view of the television cameras.

There have been suggestions that the attack on Ms Hermoso has somehow overshadowed the achievement and robbed the Spanish women of the right to celebrate their victory; I don't agree. They were superb and are right to be recognised as worthy winners. But if they have lit a fire under the women's game and raised awareness of the insidious and pervasive nature of bullying and harassment in the workplace, then they will have achieved an even greater victory. We can't confine that consciousness just to football. Many who work in the NHS will recognise everyday incidents where power is exercised over others rather than used for the overall benefit of all who work in and use the service.

If you are experiencing bullying or harassment in the workplace, particularly within the NHS, I would recommend 1:1 coaching with a trained executive coach. The listening process will clarify your position, allow you to explore future options and empower you to fight back. You are not alone.

I offer a free, no obligation 30 minute conversation which you can book here and discover if Coaching could help you.