If you think that bullying is something that only happens in schools, you’re very wrong.
According to a study done by SME Loans in 2019, 23% of the British workforce admitted to suffering at the hands of a workplace bully. That’s an eye-opening amount of people struggling from day to day whilst going to work and sitting at their office desks.
Everyone knows that extremely severe effect that bullying can have on mental health. This isn’t something which stops when you become an adult and clearly, this is a far bigger problem than anyone realises. Every single workplace needs to have a zero tolerance policy on workplace bullying. This works hand in hand with raising awareness of mental health in the workplace and ensuring that every employee feels safe, secure, and happy during their working days.
Check out this infographic which talks in more detail about what workplace bullying is, the different forms it can take, and how to deal with it.
Source - https://www.leaderonomics.com/articles/functional/infographic-dealing-with-workplace-bully
When left to increase in severity, bullying can lead to anxiety and depression and in the worst cases, bullying has been linked to suicidal thoughts and actions. Nobody has the right to make another person feel this way.
Managers need to be mindful of what is going on with the office and to look for red flags. Colleagues also need to be strong enough to stand up to workplace bullies and to report any concerns they have.
Most bullies are extremely insecure people. They make other people feel low and worthless so that they feel better about themselves. Every single person within your office, whether they’re sitting at their office chairs or around the modern boardroom tables, deserves to feel like they’re an equal part of the team and that they’re valued and appreciated. Not one single person should ever have to deal with bullying of any kind.
It’s time that we all learned to stand up to bullies of all ages. By forging a solid team-working environment within your office, employees will look out for one another and stand up against any unfair or belittling behaviour. This is the very basic of human decency and when you think about how much time the average employee spends in the office environment, it should be a place they feel safe and secure going to every single day.
Stamp out workplace bullying NOW!