According to studies, 13% of US employees report bullying in the workplace. It’s a global phenomenon that affects most employees and employers alike. The thing with this vice is that it comes in various forms. It may be in the form of physical, nonverbal, psychological, and humiliation. Since it can happen over a period of time, the victim can feel helpless and unable to do anything. But that doesn’t mean that you should sit down and wait for the bully to feel good about making you feel bad.
If you are looking for ways to deal with workplace bullying, read further to learn more.
1. Speak it out before it becomes worse
Many forms of workplace bullying are not illegal. For instance, if a person targets a practical joke at you, it wouldn’t be challenging to open a court case against them. Therefore, if you notice a worker or your supervisor being rude to you, the best thing is to identify this behaviour and tell them how you feel.
If the person has a more prominent role than yours, standing up and being firm against them would be the best way to talk to them. On the other hand, if you feel that standing up to them is difficult, there’s nothing wrong in sitting down but ensuring that you speak with arms folded, hunched shoulders, and face looking down.
2. Documentation acts as evidence
What was the last thing you did when your manager sent you an email that came with a lot of harsh criticism or negative comments about your performance? If you deleted it, that was not a wise move. Experts suggest that you save it so that you can use it in the future when you need to highlight what the bully has been doing.
If someone speaks ill about you in a meeting, writing it down and noting down the people in that meeting is worthwhile. Please also note that with the increased use of social media and technology, recording audios and videos (if possible) is also essential in this case.
3. Talk to someone in power
Let’s take an example where you have tried to talk to the bully, and the situation is not changing; alternatively, you have even taken steps to speak with your co-workers to support you on this issue, and nothing is changing. The next thing to do is to talk to someone in power.
If it’s your manager, reach out to someone who has more authority than them. You can also talk to their peer managers to seek advice on this situation.
Bonus points
Ensure that you have enough support at home. You can choose to see a therapist to solicit ways to handle the bullying situation professionally. To avoid depression and stress, try to keep yourself busy with other activities like going to the gym or joining a local team. Another way is to seek legal advice.
Talk to your lawyer and be ready to research if the company has policies that guard employees against bullying in the workplace.
Also read: 5 Ways Using Which One Can Dismantle Rape Culture From Our Society
