Workplace bullying is a prevalent issue affecting millions of adults. If school-age bullies are overt, those in the workplace can be subtle. However, there are ways to identify patterns of bullying in the office. Keep reading to learn what bullying looks like at work, how it can affect employees, and how you can protect yourself.

What does workplace bullying look like?

Bullying is an exercise in power. It can mean mocking, humiliating, gossiping, or outright abusing a coworker verbally. It can also mean threatening, socially excluding, or invading a person’s privacy. Wrongful blame and work interference or sabotage are also forms of bullying. 

A bully is likely to retaliate when confronted. It is also possible that the work environment has institutionalized this attitude, and that tormentors do not face the consequences of their actions. 

Finally, this sort of abuse does not happen just once. What separates harassment from bullying is that the latter is sustained behavior. An anger management online course might help bullies confront the root cause of their actions, but these types of interventions cannot be one-off deals.

What groups are most affected?

According to a 2017 research, 70 percent of bullies are male, while 30 percent are female, and both groups tend to target females. Persons of color are also bullied more frequently; only 19 percent of workers surveyed were white.

Managers who bully tend to abuse their power by threatening demotion, time off or transfers for people they have decided are their target. Colleagues might bully each other through sabotage or gossip. Lower-level employees might also intimidate superiors by showing disrespect, being passive-aggressive about completing tasks, or spreading rumors. 

These behaviors occur in stressful, unstable work environments. Places with heavy workloads and unclear policies regarding employee behavior are also prone to developing bullies. A positive work environment online course could be the first step to eliminating this culture.

What are the effects of bullying?

Bullying has various long-term effects, but these are primarily internal, making it difficult to prove that the person is suffering from their colleagues’ behavior. Common consequences include physically feeling anxious about work, severe digestive issues, or high blood pressure. 

Chronically stressed individuals are at higher risk of developing conditions like Type 2 diabetes or insomnia. The psychological effects of bullying include lower self-esteem, a heightened risk for depression, anxiety, and even suicidal ideation.

How can you cope with bullying at work?

A person bullied at work might view their situation as hopeless. However, this is not the case; there are many ways for employees to deal with bullies. One of the first things to do is to document the bullying. 

Track down the date, time, and place where these incidents occur, the other people who witnessed it, and the exact actions. Collect physical evidence, like photos or videos of the event, property damaged by the encounter, or others.

From here, the victim can do several things. They can report the bully to a direct supervisor, human resources, or a designated resource person for untoward incidents at the workplace. They can also confront the bully together with a trusted witness. This encounter is not meant to intimidate the bully; instead, it should be a way for two parties to come to an amicable resolution.

If these fail, the bullied individual can seek legal guidance. Although there are situations where legal action is not a viable solution, a lawyer can offer valuable insights as a disinterested third party. 

A victim can also reach out to other coworkers, who can provide emotional and professional support. Finally, a victim should be proactive and take steps toward minimizing incidents like these. A self-esteem and assertiveness skills online course is the best way to go about this.

Conclusion

Many companies have a zero-tolerance policy for bullying, but it can still be challenging to recognize. Since managers might not always see that employees are being bullied, it makes acting difficult. Instituting long-term reforms is often the best course of action for companies.

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