Does your coworker constantly criticize you? Does your colleague take full credit for your work? If that’s the case then you are the victim of workplace bullying. 

And, you are not alone. Many people assert power through aggression. Today, I’m going to create a post that describes bullying in the workplace, its examples, and some tactics that help you deal with a workplace bully. So, let’s get started.

What is Workplace Bullying?

It refers to negative acts and statements that physically or mentally hurt a person. Workplace bullying is one where the intention of one’s behavior is to intimidate, humiliate, belittle or degrade another person. It’s not just one time action or behavior, instead it's a repeated pattern of behaviors and incidents. 

Understand some Examples of Workplace Bullying

In simple words, when your boss, colleague or manager is misbehaving with you then it might be considered as bullying. Here are some examples to get clear understanding of that fact. 

• When someone spreads false news about you and you are the main subject of gossips
• Intimidating, offending, and degrading statements or acts
• Assigning you an impossible task
• Making you the ultimate target of criticism
• Using those words that belittle you somehow 
• Giving your a project with unrealistic deadlines and expectations
• Making jokes that are offensive
• Intruding into your privacy space like reading your correspondence or personal message
• Keep changing the work guidelines
• Giving you a punishment you don’t deserve
• Assigning unreasonable workload: Know how to manage workload effectively in your office.

I have named just a few but reality is that workplace bullying can take many different forms. If you are not sure whether someone is bullying you or not then you can discuss this matter with someone in your family. 

What is not Considered as Workplace Bullying?

There is a fine line between workplace bullying and management’s control. Sometimes, your manager threatens you to complete a task because there is a deadline to meet. In that case, it’s a use of power but not bullying. However, when it happens all the time and you feel threatened and unable to speak up because you know that it won’t matter then it is an abuse, which you shouldn’t tolerate.

Here are some acts and behaviors that won’t be regarded as bullying in the workplace.

• Contructive feedback and criticism from your colleague or manager with an intention to improve your work performance.
• When management takes reasonable disciplinary or workplace action to keep you on work track.
• In case your coworkers and manager come up with difference of opinion due to workplace diversity then it won’t be categorized under workplace abuse.

What are the effects of Bullying at Work?

Bullying is a series of negative behaviors and acts, therefore its outcome are bad for both company and employee.

If we talk about effect on the victim then they include:

•  Stress
• Losing  interest in job
•  lacking focus on the given task
•  low morale
•  anxiety/panic attacks
• Headache
• Stomache
• Physical health issues
• Depression
• Low self esteem - Time to learn how to boost your self-esteem at workplace

If we talk about its effect on the workplace as a whole then they include:

• Increasing in employee turnover and absenteeism
• Poor employee performance 
• Decreased morale, productivity  
• Bad customer service
• Increased in workplace incidents and accidents
   

How to handle a bully at your Workplace?

Here is what you need to do.

Learn Self-Management

If you want to deal with a bully at the workplace then first thing to learn is self-management and control. It helps you you stop caring about his destructive criticism and negative acts then things get simple and easy to handle. Know how self-management lets you deal with workplace harrassment.

Set Some Boundaries

Stop being a victim, stand up for yourself.

He is playing you and belittling you because you let him do that with you. Set some boundaries for him. If he is intruding on your privacy then show him what is the end limit.  Tell him what is acceptable for you and what is OFF-Limit. 

You need a little courage to candidly speak about your rights. You need to show him HIS Position but in a careful manner. 

If something is bothering you talk about it. When you know he doesn’t care and keep doing the same thing then you can move to the next step “Report HIM to HR”.

Keep a Log of Bully Behavior and Actions

Once you have set your boundaries and trying to talk him out of that bad behavior and acts but he is who he is then it’s time to start gathering evidence. 

To prove him a Bully of the workplace, you must have a proper document that states time and date with a clear explanation of the event.

 When did it happen? Exact date and time

 Why did it happen? Reasons and context

Ask Around

If you are facing workplace bullying situation then trust me you are not the only victim. There must be some others. Pay attention around. If there are other victims, take them under your umbrella and document their statements. 

Talk to HR

Once you have enough evidences against that person then you should go to HR. There is no harm in it. When someone is isolating you, costing you Your Career’s progress and making life hard at workplace then you have full rights to report this matter. 

Don’t hold yourself back. Go ahead and fight but in a professional manner.

Get Ready for Consequences

When you report a bully then he becomes stubborn and try to harm you in every possible way. Get ready for a bad situation because it’s forthcoming and unavoidable. However, when you see that management is not doing anything against his actions even when he is wrong then you might be working in Toxic workplace. You can either leave it and learn to deal with a toxic workplace. You need to confront your bully, else you won’t be able to stay productive at your workplace.

Bottom Line

Workplace bullying is a common problem in every small and big company. You must get complete understanding of your situation before you file a report of bullying in your office. When things don’t work out as you want them to even after reporting then it’s better to look for new jobs in Pakistan. It’s better to join a new job with a healthy work environment than to make a compromise on your mental and physical health by staying with a bully