Whether it’s an overly critical boss isolating one employee from coworkers, or colleagues playing repeated pranks on a person, workplace bullying is prevalent.
An estimated 60 million Americans are affected by this power dynamics. According to a report on bullying from job site Resume.io, 29 percent of victims never report what’s happening. If you’re in a workplace where you’re being bullied, know you’re not alone.
Here’s how you can deal with workplace bullying:
Confront the Bully
The thought of confronting a bully head-on can be frightening, especially if the bully is in a position of power. As a victim, you could be afraid to raise your concern out of a fear of losing your job, appraisal, project, etc., but addressing the situation on the spot is important.
Instead of stooping to their level or taking revenge, you need to make the bully realise that they’ve overstepped boundaries. Speak up in the moment right then and squash it. Call out the specific language and behaviour; clearly state that you will not be tolerating any inappropriate comments.
If the bully talks over you with complaints and criticisms, directly ask what they would recommend. Follow a confrontational approach and put them on spot instead of succumbing to their tactics.
Document the Abuse
Workplace bullying gets out of control when there is insufficient evidence associated with it. Proper and detailed documentation is necessary. A good idea, therefore, is to follow a proactive approach and write down all the incidents with date and time to keep track of the behavioural patterns. If there were witnesses, include them in the document as well.
Make sure you have solid evidence to back up your side of the story. In case bullying occurs in email or correspondence, maintain a record of the trail of emails and keep them in a folder on your computer.
Inform the Management and HR
In many instances, confronting the perpetrator directly isn’t an option. That is when you need to report to the senior management about what’s going on.
Go to HR with your evidence, especially the evidence that shows the impact of the bully on the business. Evaluate the cost of the bully to the company in terms of absenteeism, turnover, lost productivity, etc. You could cite also specific examples of time wasted and resources lost to whoever you approach.
File a formal complaint, so they take steps on your behalf to resolve the issue. Expect to get the best resolution after the management makes an intervention to deal with the bully. In a different scenario, be prepared to explore other options so you have less contact with the bully.
Learn how you can take your leadership teams through a growth model which will help them mature on a personal and professional level by following me on LinkedIn and subscribing to the Keijzer Community.
Paul Keijzer is the CEO and Founder of Engage Consulting and the co-Founder of The Talent Games, which aims to transform HR by digitising talent processes and creating more engaging and productive workplaces through gamification and mobile technology. As a global HR and Leadership Management expert, Paul knows how to combine business insights with people insights to transform organisations and put them on the path to growth.