How to Deal With a Bully at Work

Think twice about how you treat your co-workers.

Although bullying at school is a common concern, this type of harassment often gets overlooked in the workplace. Unfortunately, some bullies carry their mentality into the professional world. The consequences of such behavior are severe. Victims suffer emotionally, socially and financially. Some employees feel so trapped that they quit their job to escape this toxic environment. The perpetrator, on the other hand, can face legal penalties, lawsuits and termination. Regrettably, 80 percent of workplace bullying comes from supervisors, but your peers can be just as detrimental. If you are being bullied at work, do not feel cornered. This treatment is inexcusable, and there are professional ways to deal with it.

Things You'll Need

• PC and email program
• MP3 player with calming music
• Mirror

Instructions

Bullying from Co-Workers

1. Evaluate the situation. Determine how much stress the bully is causing you and what behaviors are involved.

2. Do not stay silent. Some people dislike conflict, and they make a conscious effort to avoid it. While this is a helpful attitude for the occasional argument, a bully feeds off of your passive responses. Submission indicates fear.

3. Track each incident. Use a note pad or word processor to outline the date, time and nature of each infraction. This helps you avoid vague claims like "she always pushes me around" or "she is never polite to me."

4. Speak with the perpetuator alone. Approach the individual and request a private meeting at his convenience. Never address such problems in front of other employees, because this adds tension and can draw others into the conflict. Bring a hard copy of your personal notes to the meeting.

5. Be assertive. Calmly and professionally explain every incident in detail. Tell him why his behavior hurts you and ask him to stop. Do not threaten to report him or take any other action. The key here is diplomacy.

6. Speak to your supervisor. Schedule a one-on-one discussion with your boss. Refer to your notes and outline the bully's behavior. Workplaces do not tolerate bullying, so supervisors are bound by policy to address these issues and stop them.

7. Take legal action. If the employee uses or threatens violence against you, you have the right to press charges. Companies that tolerate or ignore bullying can also be subject to civil suits. If you consider either of these options, speak with an attorney.

Supervisor Bullying

1. Learn your boss's routine. If you know where he goes at certain times, you can avoid those areas and minimize your interaction with him. Schedule your vacations around his. If you know your boss will be off for a few days, take advantage of that time to come into work. If you spend time away on days that he is in the office, you essentially get twice the break.

2. Keep track of each incident. Write down the time, date and nature of each occurrence.

3. Meet your supervisor alone. Schedule a one-on-one discussion with her, but do not reveal your reasons until the meeting. Bring your notes with you. Your boss cannot legally fire you for this. If she does, the organization can be subject to a wrongful dismissal suit.

4. Outline the situation. With your notes as a reference, explain the nature of his actions and tell him that it affects your experience in the organization.

5. Go to her supervisor or human resources department. Although you may be tempted to do this immediately, this is a serious workplace fallacy. If you go over your boss's head, it will only serve to anger her. Do not do this unless your private discussion with her proves ineffective, or if you are legitimately afraid. If you resort to such a measure, bring your incident records with you.

Prevention

1. Raise awareness. As a supervisor, you are responsible for your workplace dynamic. If bullying is a concern, speak to your human resources department or senior management.

2. Start a prevention program. Conduct workplace violence seminars as a part of employee training. Although this takes time and money, the costs far outweigh the risks associated with high turnover, termination or even lawsuits.

3. Clearly define workplace bullying. Your employees need to know the rules in order to follow them.

4. Enforce the rules. Clearly state that you do not tolerate bullying. If someone brings a bully to your attention, ensure that he is punished in accordance with company policy. In short, make an example of him.

5. Explain your procedures. Educate the employees on how they can report a bully. Designate a specific person or department to whom they can speak.

Tips & Warnings

• Workplace bullying is a broad term. The Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety provides a comprehensive list of what constitutes bullying. Some examples include rumors, intimidation, interference, gossip, violence, yelling, belittling and making inappropriate jokes.

• Never get into email wars with anyone. Many have been fired over this throughout the years.

• Don't respond to the bully by lowering yourself to his level. It is your goal to stay above his tactics, and come out the good guy.

References

• Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety: Bullying in the Workplace
• "Canadian Living"; Dealing With Workplace Bullies; Emily Kimber