Workplace Bullying: 4 Steps to Overcoming and Fighting It (2023)

Workplace harassment has become a strategic tool to drive employees to voluntarily leave companies. Isolation, intimidation, and threats are just some of the tactics that bullies use to disempower and disempower someone. The reasons could be as simple as feeling threatened by someone's success or personality or feeling insecure about yourself as a whole.

The behaviors, tactics and language used by bullies can turn what appears to be a warm and friendly environment into a culture of fear. Research shows that bullying in the workplace doesn't just affect someone's happiness, it damages their health, productivity and self-confidence, leaving victims feeling trapped and powerless. Surveys carried out byWorkplace Harassment Instituteshow 30% of employeessuffer from post-traumatic stress disorderbecause of how intolerable his work life has become.

Every day, an employee isbeing mistreatedin the workplace. No part of an organization is immune from workplace bullying, including the human resources department.I know this because I am a tenured HR professional who, at one point, was bullied by a manager. At first it was difficult to understand what was going on. The bullying started with demeaning comments and quickly escalated to isolated and fear-based behavior.

When it comes to a manager or the team as a whole, your options for who to trust become limited. In turn, victims internalize the comments, behaviors and isolation, leaving them to struggle with a mix of emotions ranging from feeling embarrassed and alone to intimidated and depressed.

Bullying in the workplace exists in many companies and industries today, yet it is one of the most unspoken topics. Citation, the HR and Health & Safety support company, recentlyinterviewed 1,000people understand the top reasons why 55% of employees leave within 12 months of starting. The survey results were shocking. 69% of employees admitted to leaving their job within the first year due to poor management and 62% left due to hostile work environments.

Glass doory In fact, reviews are often a great resource for highlighting bad internal company cultures, but they don't publicly address bullying cultures. The unfortunate reality is that stalkers are strategic and conscientious in making their moves privately with little or no paper trail.

The Workplace Harassment Institutepublished another reportin 2017 with some alarming statistics. The report showed:

61% of bullies are bosses acting alone

61% of employees are aware of abusive behavior in the workplace

19% have already tried it and another 19% have witnessed it

29% of victims remain silent

65% of harassed employees lose their jobs

80% of women bully other women

What is most disturbing isstudies have shownthat women who work for women more often experience harassment, abuse and sabotage in the workplace. In a world where women are supposed to unite in unity, they are using their power and authority to keep others beneath them.

Here are four tactics for dealing with workplace bullying and ways to dismantle the culture of fear before it becomes toxic.

Face the situation head on

The thought of facing a bully in the workplace head-on can be overwhelming and frightening, especially if it's an older person. Almost all companies have standard processes for dealing with harassment when it occurs between two employees, but the real challenge comes when the harasser is the manager, or worse, from within the HR department itself.

Examples of bullying in the workplace can include being excluded from team meetings, colleagues threatening to replace you, a manager making jokes about someone's lifestyle or background, making directly or indirectly hurtful comments, or providing inaccurate information and withholding correct information. that affect your ability to do your job.

While it may be tempting to seek revenge or stoop to their level, the best first step is to resolve the situation immediately. Sometimes, that's exactly what the abuser needs to realize they've crossed a line. This can include jokes and comments: “If there is a problem, we'll find time to discuss it privately. Your comments are inappropriate and I will not tolerate them” — orcall the specific language and behaviorand leave the room or end the call. As uncomfortable as it may be, practicing bravery will show the bully that you are not as easy a target as they initially thought.

trust a confidant

Finding someone to trust at work can be a challenge if you don't have co-workers you can trust 100%. If there is no one you can trust at work, looking for a confidant is the best alternative. Victims of bullying are reluctant to talk about what they are going through. Often they are overcome with a sense of guilt, believing that they themselves caused it.

Studiesshowpeople who are bullied experience stress, impaired self-esteem, impaired physical and emotional health, and impaired cognitive functioning. Having someone to confide in can help victims see that they are not the problem and that they are not alone. Feeling helpless and powerless in a place where you spend a third of your life can lead to depression and, in some severe cases, suicide.

Document every detail, big and small

What allows workplace bullying to spiral out of control and become unruly is the lack of evidence associated with it. Taking a proactive approach and documenting all incidents with timestamps will help expose patterns of behavior and create a timeline of events. If there are witnesses, be sure to include them in the document as well. According to the law, employees prove that they have been specifically targeted.

Human Resources is a great resource to get more information and get your attention. In unfortunate cases like mine, where I was in HR being bullied by my own manager and team, finding a confidant or seeking legal advice is the next best thing. Lawyers will want to see concrete evidence of each incident that occurred and the negative impact it had on job performance. Keep documentation as factual as possible to build a credible case.

Stick to the facts and report higher

The key is to remain calm and present the facts without allowing emotions, especially anger, to take over. If there was a meeting and confrontation with the manager or person and nothing has improved, the next step is to report it to someone higher up. Often your boss is not aware of the situation and can offer solutions to prevent it from continuing, such as moving or changing roles within the company.

If the abuse continues or gets worse and Human Resources fails to act, there are employment laws to protect you. Seeking the advice of an employment lawyer can help explain your rights and provide guidance on the appropriate next steps to take legal action. That's why proper and detailed documentation is crucial. This shows that this is not a one-off incident, but a series of occurrences that jeopardized the safety, health and performance of employees.

The damage of bullying is lasting and no employee should have to endure hostile working conditions. Some victims are so damaged that they cannot return to the workforce for fear of it happening again.

If you witness bullying in the workplace, I encourage you to speak up and report it. Victims are often too embarrassed to speak up for themselves or don't know who to turn to for help. It is our duty as human beings to ensure that we are treated as such, inside and outside the workplace.