If you think that bullying is something which only happens at school, you’re sadly mistaken. A huge number of adults experience bullying in the modern workplace, and this has to stop.
Every single business needs to have a zero-tolerance policy to workplace bullying, helping to stamp it out before the extremely negative detrimental effects take hold. For instance, it’s not unusual for someone who is being bullied on a regular basis to develop mental health problems due to the harassment and treatment they’re being subjected to.
We know that mental health in the workplace is something we all need to be more aware of, but when you’re struggling with abuse at the hands of a colleague or a manager during your working day at your office desk, life can be very negative and difficult to deal with indeed.
Check out this infographic which talks about workplace bullying and harassment in a bit more detail.
Source - https://www.citation.co.uk/news/hr-and-employment-law/bullying-and-harassment-in-the-workplace/
Part and parcel of employee health and wellbeing is to ensure that your employees know what to do if they feel they’re being bullied or harassed during their working hours, either around the boardroom tables or away from them. In this case, a policy needs to be implemented which outlines steps to take very clearly and who to report to. Of course, this also needs to have alternative routes to take, just in case the person who is doing the bullying is your manager.
Living with bullying isn’t an option, it’s not something you should have to endure. If you even attempt it, you’re going to find that your mental health is detrimentally affected and yore not going to be a very productivity employee at your designer office desk either.
So, what should you do if you feel like you are being bullied at work? Of course, the route to take varies according to who is doing the bullying and the policy that your particular workplace has, but a few general steps can be found below.
- Don’t wait to speak up - Do not sit there and endure it, and make sure that you speak up and talk about what’s going on early. This could mean explaining to the person that you don’t appreciate the way they’re speaking to you or treating you, if you feel able to do this, or speaking to someone close to you, perhaps a colleague, about what’s going on. Do not keep it to yourself.
- Document as much information as possible - Keep a journal of the abuse and make sure that you note down how it is making you feel and how it is affecting your productivity at work too. As much information as possible should be given here, to back up your claims and help you to stamp bullying out of your life.
- Focus on number one - When you are at home, make sure you give yourself a break and look after number one. In this situation, your mental health is going to suffer if you allow negativity to build up. So, focus on things you enjoy, spend time with those you love, and make sure you get plenty of sleep and eat a healthy diet. This is the foundation on which you can grow.
- Look at your workplace policies - Is there a bullying in the workplace policy you can look towards for further guidance if the treatment is continuing and not stopping after speaking out? If so, you need to follow the steps now. If not, you need to continue on to our next point straightaway.
- Talk to your manager - Now you need to report the bullying to your manager. However, if your manager is the one who is doing the bullying, you need to report this to an alternative person in power. At this point, you need to hand over the journal you have been keeping, which backs up your claims.
If despite everything you aren’t satisfied with the outcome and morale in the workplace is continuing to affect your mental health, you simply need to make a move and leave. Yes, you’re right in thinking that you shouldn’t be the one forced to leave your office chair and move to another company, but if the perpetrator of the bullying is still in situ and nothing is being done to change their behaviour, you do not have to put up with it and there will be a better future waiting for you.
Every single business needs to focus on stamping out workplace bullying NOW!