BULLYING IN THE WORKPLACE.

The worst type of bullying in the workplace is when it is coming from the supervisor or manager they are above you and you may feel afraid to lose your job if you make a complaint against them. If you do not have a supportive HR or an Occupational Health Service then your complaints go unheard.

“ Bullying is a subcategory of aggressive behaviour characterized by the following three criteria: hostile intent, imbalance of power, and repetition over a period of time. Bullying is the activity of repeated, aggressive behaviour intended to hurt another individual, physically, mentally, or emotionally.”

I have been a victim of ‘bullying in the workplace’ and this went on for a number of years, the evidence was there, as it was an open planned Office where there were many other managers and staff, but no one stood up for me they all remained silent. The offender would shout at me across the office they would ‘nit pick’ and pull me up about the quality of my work in front of all my colleagues. They were the judge and jury in the office but once I left the building it would be another story.

In my own experience I have been bullied in other stages in my life, being black was one of them, but I needn’t use this for this case as that would of been the least of my worries. Just being me a young, slim popular girl is enough for some people.

I was popular throughout the company, made friends easily, mainly in other departments. “Its better to have friends you don’t work closely with.” I recon a lot of self hate and jealousy led to my victimisation ‘I will never allow anyone again to do this to me, at the time I was vulnerable my parents were emigrating and I was having mental health challenges’

There are many forms of bullying in the work place some can be subtle and others can be “right there in your face” mine was very much there and people from every other department could see it, but YES they remained silent.

My saving grace was the support I got from Occupational Health Department where there was a psychiatric nurse attached, they were my protection and saved me from losing my job and aiding me in managing my road to recovery.

You spend the majority of your waking days in work and if you are unhappy at work it is going to have an impact on your life at home. You may feel depressed and hopeless especially if you have debts to pay and cannot afford to change jobs. It can cause disruption to your relationships and you may find that you may smoke or drink more or even self medicate.

If you feel you have to stand up for yourself in a workplace in order for the ‘powers that be’ to believe that you are a victim you would need to wear a bodycam and record every incident that happens cause as I see it ‘Management stick together’ especially in large reputable companies. I think maybe other people are afraid to get involved as they thing they will lose their jobs.

If you are starting a new job you should sit back and observe every one and everything going on around you. Use the technique of assessing each person then you will know who you can befriend or be wary of. Let them know that you demand respect and that you are ‘no pushover’ and that you will not be tolerating any form of abuse. They need to leave their insecurities and problems at ‘at home’ where it belongs.

In every aspect in life there needs to be a balance.