You may think that bullying is something that only happens in the playground, but sadly bullying in the workplace is something many adults unexpectedly find themselves dealing with.
At work, it can be a lot more subtle than the traditional name calling and physical threats you may first think of when someone mentions bullying. Although bullying can involve rudeness or name calling, it may also take the form of excluding people, ignoring someone’s contribution, overloading one person with work or unfair criticism.
If you’re being bullied at work then you may feel demotivated and miserable but there are things you can do to stop it.
In honour of Anti-Bullying Week, running from 12th-16th of November, here is our guide to banishing the bullies:
Tell someone
If you feel you’re being treated unfairly at work then tell someone you can trust. This could be a colleague, your manager or HR professional.
You can also get help from outside your workplace by speaking to ACAS, a union representative or the Citizens Advice service. If you find that the bullying is affecting your mental health then speak to your GP.
Talk to the bully
In some cases the person involved may not realise how much their behaviour is affecting you or even be aware that they are a bully. Talk to them and calmly explain how their behaviour is making you feel.
Remember that bullying is often a result of underlying insecurity and is meant to intimidate and control you. Many bullies will back off as soon as someone stands up to them.
If you feel uncomfortable speaking to the person, ask someone to do it on your behalf or have someone with you to witness the conversation.
Keep a diary
If the bullying does not stop after you have spoken to the bully, or becomes worse, then you may want to keep a diary.
A diary can be very helpful if you need to make a formal complaint at a later stage. Make a note every time something happens that you feel is unacceptable or bullying behaviour. Include the date, time and a brief description of what happened.
Make a formal complaint
If the bullying continues, then you may want to make a formal complaint. Your company should have a grievance procedure that you can follow to do this.
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