The Most Important Tips For Dealing With Bullying At Work

You may have thought that bullying was left behind back in your school, but you’d be surprised to know that bullying can still occur in the workplace. As you get older, the effects of bullying can lead to many health concerns, including physical and psychological effects. This can cause stress, lack of confidence, and low productivity at work.

Also, if you may have thought that bullying comes just from a position of power, you’d be mistaken. Bullying can come from any person within the organization — from the manager, right down to a colleague.

It’s important that you’re able to take the appropriate steps to protect yourself. Below are some tips you can use in dealing with bully at work.

Review Your Actions

Before you decide to make a drastic decision on dealing with bullying at work, you should double-check with yourself to see whether you may be contributing in some way to what’s going on. It’s likely that you’re simply doing nothing, but you have to see whether you can be the bigger person and realize that you may be making a mistake.

In some circumstances, the ‘bullying’ may have just been a one-off occurrence which means it would be better to simply let it go. Moving on can be a solution in itself.

Try To Deal With The Matter Sooner Rather Than Later

It can be understandable to not feel the need to speak up when you’re being bullied. This might just be because you’re simply scared or prefer not to disclose your issues with others. In other cases, the bully maybe someone of power which means there’s a lot more at stake than just pride.

However, it’s important to understand that long-term bullying can have a significant impact on your health and well-being. This is why it shouldn’t be something that should be lingered on. You should look to act promptly on the matter before it escalates to a point where you’re unable to handle the situation.

See Also: 7 Ways to Manage Difficult Personalities At Work

Inform Those Above You

In school, you might have not been forgiven being a ‘tell-tale’ to the teachers, but it can be a larger matter when it comes to bullying at work. There are far more important matters on the line such as your career, your general health, and your future. If you’re uncomfortable with dealing with the situation yourself, speak to those in HR or higher up who can support you in resolving the matter.

Don’t Take The Bullying To Heart

This can be difficult to do but if you take the bullying personally, it can heighten the effects it’s having on you already. It’s important to remember that when a bully is doing what they do, it’s more to do with their insecurities than the concerns that you have. If you can, develop healthy emotional boundaries to prevent you from reacting in a negative way to the bullying when it occurs. Bullies are more likely to thrive on your negative reaction and potentially do it more.

Document All Instances

This is probably the most important tip on dealing with bully at work. Ensure that you document all the instances where you’ve made contact with the bully and any confrontations that you’ve had. This allows you to provide timelines and recall any information you might forget. It can even support your case if you choose to take legal proceedings towards the bully. This can normally be valid when contacting a dispute resolution solicitor to help enforce a legal case on the colleague involved.

Workplace bullying is a matter that needs more awareness. Many choose to keep it under the radar and suffer in silence. However, supporting yourself and taking a stand can be beneficial not only in stopping bullying, but also helping others to take a stand for themselves, too.

See Also: 5 Ways To Cope With Workplace Stress