Workplace Bullies and What to do with Them

Unfortunately, workplace bullies are a reality of life for many employees in the workplace. While the concept of “bullying” seems to belong to the realm of school, many people who were bullies as kids don’t change, and stay bullies when they grow up into supposedly mature adults.

So what do you do when you find a bully in your workplace? If you’re an employer, it can be a challenge to identify a bullying problem, especially as many employees are unwilling to bring up the issue with their employers or managers.

Just as in school, there can be a feeling of shame on the part of the victim (especially if they feel they are being singled out), and as a result, they may be unlikely to report any problems. Unfortunately, many bullies simply aren’t observed by managers and employers, and are good at hiding their behavior in these situations.

It’s also necessary to determine what exactly constitutes bullying. Many people still think of bullying as physical behavior, but bullying can take a much subtler form. Many people are bullied verbally, and feel that as they are not being physically threatened they should just ignore it. Unfortunately, ignoring a bully rarely makes them go away.

It’s a good idea for employers to put together a list of bullying behaviors, clearly explaining that they won’t be tolerated, and proposing a means for dealing with bullying when it occurs. Ensure that there are open meetings and discussions on the topic of bullying, and let workers know that they should speak up when they believe they are being bullied.

Some more common bullying behaviors include verbal abuse, nit-picking, threats, sarcasm, or sabotage of a person’s work. Only around 10% of bullying is actually physical. It’s important for managers and employers to be on the lookout for signs of bullying in the workplace. If particular employees seem very reluctant to be at work, have lost productivity, and seem to take more than an average amount of sick days off work, it may be because they have become the target of a workplace bully. It may help to actually approach them about the situation, and ask if there is anything bothering them. If you can make them feel relaxed and unthreatened, and promise that anything they tell you will be kept confidential, it may be possible to get to the root of the problem.

Unfortunately, bullies are often those who are in a position of power over others (and this includes managers and bosses), and they will use their power as a bullying tool, simply because they are the ones in charge, and the employee often doesn’t feel that he or she would be believed if they were to report the situation.

Employers should keep an eye out for bullying behavior, in order to nip it in the bud when it happens. Ensure the workplace is one where bullying can be discussed and reported, and that bullying situations are dealt with effectively and not swept under the carpet.

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