If your boss is bullying you, what do you do?
It is sometimes difficult to know whether you are being bullied or not and it is difficult to really know whether you have a case to report. However, the following bullying tactics are some to help you identify whether you have fallen victim to workplace bullying or not:
- Made-up rules – generally against you
- Silent treatment
- Accused of things you have NOT done
- Discounting your personal opinions, work etc
- Non-verbal intimidation – stared at etc
- Encouraging others to turn against you as well
- Starting rumours, which are about you and your work and generally negative
- Constant criticising
- Harsh treatment
- Ignoring and not commenting on good work
Being bullied can also make you feel stressed and cause you to fall ill. For example, you may experience symptoms, such as, headaches, sickness, anxiety, sleeplessness etc
Therefore, it is important to take the following steps in order to try to resolve the situation:
- Speak to the bully – sometimes the direct approach works the best. Just ask them to stop and explain that their behaviour is unacceptable – you may find this works straight away.
- Tell someone else that you trust – maybe a colleague. Ask for their help – they may have been in your situation before and can help you.
- If you are part of a Union, then speak to them. They will be happy to give you confidential, sound advice and will want to resolve the situation quickly and quietly.
- Report the incident to your manager/supervisor. If it is your manager bullying you, then go to their manager. If you have not been able to resolve the situation yourself, then others need to know in order for it to stop.
- Keep a note and diary of every incident including the dates, times, situation and any witnesses present.
- Never be alone with the bully – always try to be around others so there are witnesses to anything that happens.
- Do not fight back or get into a debate with them otherwise it could be construed as your fault.
- If it gets really bad and none of the above has led to the bully stopping, you may need to make a formal complaint and go through the grievance procedures. At this stage you must ensure you have all the necessary evidence before proceeding.
- Do not waste anytime. The longer you wait, the longer it goes on and the more likely others will be put in the same position.
