Workplace Bullies

Summary: Bullying in the workplace often extends back into the home. Feelings of low self-worth, anxiety, and stress can often translate to displaced anger with children, spouses, and partners.

Adult bullies, like their schoolyard counterparts, tend to be insecure people with poor or non-existent social skills and little empathy. They turn this insecurity outwards, finding satisfaction in attacking and diminishing the capable people around them.

A workplace bully subjects the person to unjustified criticism. He or she may humiliate the person, especially in front of others. When the bully is in a supervisory position, he or she may ignore, overrule, isolate, or exclude the employee.

Here are a few questions to consider if you suspect you are being bullied at work:

• Do you feel set up for failure by imposed unrealistic goals or deadlines?
• Are you denied necessary information and resources?
• Do you feel you are overloaded with work?
• Does your supervisor take vital work away, replacing it with demeaning tasks?

Here are a few solutions employees can explore:

• Speak to your HR representative for guidance
• Seek the advice of a trusted mentor
• If possible, confront the bully in a professional manner, but only if your physical safety isn't threatened
• Don't allow the bully to intimidate you or make you feel bad about yourself

Here are a few suggestions employees can explore with their employers:

• Establish an employee hotline
• Instate employee advocates
• Conduct peer-to-peer reviews
• Create confidential employee satisfaction surveys

Something to Think About...

• 1 in 5 employees have experienced destructive bullying in the workplace
• 80% of bullies are bosses. A bully is equally likely to be a man or a woman
• Bullying (general harassment) is far more prevalent than sexual harassment and racial discrimination
• 53% of employees lost work time worrying about the incident or future interactions
• 28% of employees lost work time avoiding the bully
• 10% of employees decreased the amount of time they spent at work
• 12% of employees changed jobs to avoid the bully

Are you being bullied at work? Has an employee come to you about a workplace bully? Learn  more about this topic via our webinar, Bullying in the Workplace.