Workplace Bullying

When You Have to Deal with Bullying in the Workplace

As children many of us had the misfortune of having to deal with a bully at some point in time. They would call us names, taunt,
steal our lunch money, and often even resort to physical violence. Now that we are adults, it would seem to make sense that we had put all of this behind us.  Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Workplace bullying is a stressful and difficult situation that many people may find themselves subjected to. Sometimes it’s a coworker, other times it’s a manager or supervisor.

No matter who the bully is, they make life difficult for the person that they target. Maybe they deliberately make your workload heavier, or they make degrading remarks, or maybe they even physically abuse you. The important thing to remember is that this kind of behavior is unacceptable and needs to be stopped. Just as a child has to deal with their bully to get them to relent, so to must an adult at work. The differences being that as an adult you have far more options available to you and meeting violence with violence can have serious legal consequences.

It’s very important that no matter how irritating the bully is, you do not resort to similar behavior or physical violence. The only time you should engage in any type of physical confrontation is if you are put into a situation where you must defend yourself from injury. By not engaging in abusive behavior of your own you give the bully no grounds to validate their own actions. The first thing you must do to put an end to workplace bullying is to tell the bully very clearly that their actions are unwanted and must stop immediately. In some cases showing that you will not tolerate any further abuse is enough to get the bully to relent. If this fails, or if your bully is a supervisor, then company management should be notified. When you speak to management, it is important that you are specific. If possible give examples of the bully’s behavior and the dates or approximate dates that these transgressions took place. If there were any witnesses to the bully’s actions you should also inform management so that they can speak with them to help get a clearer picture of what has been happening.

Workplace Bullying Laws

Of course the idea of approaching upper management can be more than a little bit intimidating.  In some instances, the people in those positions might even be more sympathetic with the management beneath them.  Some states are now enacting laws that make it illegal for bosses to bully workers.  Upper management would be wise to take heed as they could find themselves having to explain and justify the actions of the people they put into positions of authority.  I am NOT a lawyer and would suggest that it might be wise to check with a lawyer concerning what the laws are where you live.  Another helpful resource for frustrated and bullied workers to check is the Workplace Bullying Institute.  They are a large organization devoted to understanding, correcting and preventing abuse at work.

Stop the Bullying

Unfortunately workplace bullying is a real problem for many people. The emotional stress and detrimental effects that bullying can have on your personal and professional life is significant. This is why it is so important that you do not allow this kind of behavior to continue. Remember that resorting to violence or similar tactics will not help you to put an end to the bullying, it will only get you in trouble at work.

You need to remain professional at all times and bring the problem to the attention of the people who can help you.  You will have to evaluate your own situation and decide whether you should consult your union (if you belong to one) or an attorney before proceeding.   By handling a workplace bullying problem the right way you can ensure that the bully stops their intimidating behavior and that they are held accountable for their actions.

Category: Stop Bullying