5 Tips For Handling An Office Bully

For many of us, middle school was a traumatic time – filled with wedgies and bullies getting the better of us. For most people, those problems end after we finish school and we go on to lead happy lives, despite the PTSD experienced by the majority of bullying victims.

Unfortunately, for some unlucky folks – the bullying doesn’t end there. Bullying has become an all-too-common occurrence in the workplace and can take the form of verbal or nonverbal abuse.

Below are five tips for handling an office bully because you shouldn’t condone that type of unacceptable behavior:

1.    Cyber Bullying

You might think that all bullies prefer to abuse their victims in person, but sadly that is not the case. Many bullies turn to the virtual world to express their unprofessional attitudes and unnecessarily rude comments.

These bullies find it easier to abuse their co-workers while they hide behind their keyboards. This sort of virtual abuse can include sexist or discriminatory remarks, belittling, or gaslighting their colleagues.

Learn to identify the signs of this type of bullying so that you can report the situation to your management team.

2.    Gossip Is Also Bullying

Bullying can take many forms, including physical and non-physical. Many people don’t realize that gossiping about another colleague constitutes bullying, even if it’s during a game of Truth or Dare at the Christmas party.

Some other examples of bullying include posting embarrassing social media posts, withholding necessary resources for someone to get their job done, and yelling at an employee in front of other employees.

The most crucial thing to learn is how to spot a bully and act before their behavior sets into a pattern.

3.    Check Your Company Code

Research your company’s policy on workplace bullying and harassment to determine the correct protocols and channels to take to report this type of abuse. If you’re being bullied at work, or you know someone who is, you need to report it as soon as possible.

If you feel like you are being bullied and management isn’t taking you seriously, take a breather and then contact legal advisors skilled in this field to help you put together a case against your bully and your employee.

4.    Set Limits

This tip is helpful if you have just started a new job. Often a new workplace can be intimidating, and your nerves will get the better of you until you have learned to adjust. Strong personalities can be hard to adjust to, so if you are feeling bullied but don’t want to make a big deal of it then the best thing to do is to set boundaries.

By setting limits on what behavior you find intolerable, you will quickly be able to identify and distinguish between playful and harmful attacks.

5.    Think Of The Future

As difficult as bullies are, their reign of terror doesn’t have to be long-lasting. Stand up for yourself and set the tone for how others can treat you. Even if the person bullying you is your supervisor or boss, you need to set ground rules and stick to them.

There is no reason for anyone to be bullied in a modern workplace. That kind of behavior is archaic and not at all productive – which means there is no place for it in your office environment.