How to Deal with Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace

Contents Method 1: Part 1: Understanding Workplace Bullying 1. Understand what bullies are and what they do. 2. Recognize bullying behavior. 3. Watch for signs outside of work that you are a victim of bullying. 4. Never ignore your feelings of being bullied. Method 2: Part 2: Take Action 1. Ask the bully to stop his behavior. 2. Document all bullying incidents. 3. Find witnesses. 4. Stay calm and wait for a while. 5. Arrange a meeting with your supervisor or HR specialist. 6. Follow up on the matter. Method 3: Part Three: Recovering from Bullying 1. The top priority is to improve your condition. 2. Participate in other meaningful and fulfilling activities outside of work. 3. Talk to a doctor or psychiatrist. 4. Job replacement. Method 4: Part 4: How to prevent bullying as an employer 1. Implement a "zero tolerance policy" for workplace bullying. 2. Address bullying immediately. 3. Eliminate competition. 4. Encourage communication between management and employees. Workplace bullying is intentional and repeated behavior that demeans, humiliates, obstructs, or otherwise undermines an employee's performance. This behavior can come from staff, supervisors or management and is a real problem faced by employees at all levels. This is no joke. By learning to recognize and deal with bullying, you can help create a healthier and more productive work environment for yourself and your colleagues. Read on to learn more about this.

Method 1: Part 1: Understanding Workplace Bullying

1. Understand what bullies are and what they do. Just like the bored little bully at school, workplace bullies use intimidation and manipulation to get at you. The first step you need to stop bullying and get back to a comfortable place to work is to learn to recognize their behavior. Bullies derive pleasure from torturing others. You may not always get along with everyone you work with, but that doesn't mean you're being bullied, and you're not a bully either. You can distinguish between the two by recognizing the following characteristics. Does this person seem to be going out of his way to annoy you, get you wrong, or get you down? Do they seem to enjoy the process? If the answer is yes, it probably means they are a bully.

Bullyers often have deep-rooted psychological issues related to control. Understand that the bullying you face has less to do with your performance and personality and more to do with the bully's insecurity.

2. Identify bullying behavior. It's more important to look out for the exact signs of a bully than a simple misunderstanding or personal disagreement. Workplace bullying can include: Yelling, whether in private or in front of colleagues or clients

Personal attacks

Disparaging or disrespectful comments

Excessive Monitor, criticize, or find fault with someone's work

Deliberately give someone too much work

To undermine someone's work by setting them up to fail or fall short

Deliberately withholding information so that work cannot be performed effectively

Actively excluding someone from normal workplace or office conversations and making them feel unwelcome

3. Pay attention to those outside of work that express Signs you are a victim of bullying. You may be experiencing bullying at home if you have sleep problems or nausea and vomiting because you are afraid of going to work.

Family members feel frustrated because you always talk about or dwell on work problems.

You feel anxious about going back to work every day.

The doctor notices that you have health problems (such as high blood pressure) and other stress problems

You feel guilty about getting into trouble at work.

4. Never ignore your feelings of being bullied. If you feel like you're being called out unfairly, or like you're constantly being picked on, it's easy to start making excuses. "Everyone gets treated like this" or "I deserve this" are common guilt experiences that bullies inflict on you. If you feel like you're being bullied, don't fall into the emotional trap of self-loathing. Make a plan to stop bullying and transform your work environment. While school bullies always pick victims who are perceived as isolated or weak, this is not the case with workplace bullies. They often seek out employees who are considered a threat to their careers.

If your presence overwhelms others to the point that they feel the need to dampen your spirits, take this as a twisted compliment. You are very good in your field. You yourself know this. Don't let them confuse you.

Method 2: Part 2: Take Action

1. Ask the bully to stop his behavior. Of course, doing this is harder than it sounds, but there are some simple gestures and phrases you can remember to make clear when you feel you're being bullied. Put your hands up like a police officer signaling you to stop, creating a barrier between you and the bully.

State your frustration with the person's behavior briefly and clearly, such as: "Please stop your behavior and let me do my job" or "Please stop talking." This will help you to stand up to bullying and will serve as a basis for reporting it if it continues.

Never escalate bullying. Yelling back at an insult or shouting back can get you into trouble or make the situation worse. If you are faced with someone who is like a mad dog chewing on his slippers, tell that person to stop their behavior in a calm and collected tone.

2. Record all bullying incidents. Write down the name of your tormentor and the method of bullying. Record the exact time, date, location and names of witnesses who witnessed the incident. Provide and collect as much information as possible. When you bring the issue to your supervisor or legal team, gathering evidence is the most important and concrete way to stop bullying. Even if you're not sure if you're being bullied, recording your feelings in a journal can help bring your emotions to light so you can identify the issues you're struggling with. As a result of writing down your feelings and frustrations, you may decide that you are not being bullied, or that you are definitely being bullied and need to take action.

3. Find witnesses. If you feel you are being bullied, talk to your colleagues and make sure they can corroborate your evidence and give you support. Have them write down the evidence for future reference. Choose colleagues who work the same hours as you or sit next to you. If the bullying always happens at a specific time or place, ask the witness to hang around the place when you suspect the bully is about to torture you. Bring a companion with you to meet with a superior you feel is bullying you. If things go bad, you'll have backup to back you up and be able to provide evidence later.

If you are being bullied, chances are someone else is being bullied too. Team up with other victims to help each other fight against the same enemies.

4. Stay calm and wait for a while. Make sure you collect the evidence, remain calm and behave professionally. Bringing up your emotions to your boss when there are bigger issues at hand will only make you look whiny or overreacting. If you are calm, your speech will be clearer, you will be able to express your views more clearly, and you will be in a better position to help improve the work environment. Wait until the bullying incident is reported to your supervisor overnight. If you are bullied again during this period, or if you have to wait a while before you have a chance to talk to your boss about it, try to avoid the bully. Stay calm and keep doing your thing. If you predict that you may be bullied again, you will be prepared to deal with it when it does happen.

5. Arrange a meeting with your supervisor or HR specialist. Armed with your written record and witnesses, try to make your case as calmly as possible. Practice what you are going to say before the meeting. Keep the complaint short and to the point, and fill out any documentation provided to you by your supervisor. Never suggest a course of action unless your boss asks you to do so. In other words, it is not appropriate to say to your boss, "Xiao Li must be fired because he bullied me." Describe the situation in as convincing a manner as possible, including what evidence you can gather about the accusation, and then say: "I was so frustrated by the behavior and at my wits' end that I felt it was important to let you know about it. "Let your superiors decide on their own course of action.

If your supervisor is the person who bullied you, please contact the Human Resources Specialist or the supervisor's supervisor. This is not an army that emphasizes "chain of command." Discussing this with others can make a difference in your situation.

6. Follow up on the matter. If bullying continues without being addressed and no action is taken to stop the behavior, you have the right to take the issue to a higher level.

You can discuss this with more senior management, personnel or even HR. Continue doing this until your complaint is taken seriously and the bullying situation is corrected so that you can work in a comfortable and friendly environment. Thinking of alternatives that would improve your situation is also a useful step. If your supervisor is unwilling to fire your supervisor but admits that bullying occurred, would you be willing to be transferred? Are you willing to work from home? What situation is right for you? Carefully consider some alternative solutions to appeal for yourself.

If you present evidence and the situation does not change or gets worse, consult an attorney and consider legal action. Submit the documents to a lawyer and seek legal solutions to the problem.

Method 3: Part Three: Recovering from Bullying

1. The top priority is to improve your condition. If you don't take the time to heal from your bullying experience, you won't be a good employee and you won't be a happy person. Take some time out and ignore work for a while. If you advocate for yourself well, then it should be appropriate to apply for paid leave from the company. Take advantage of this opportunity.

2. Participate in other meaningful and fulfilling activities outside of work. There's a reason why work is called work and not "super fun time." Any job, even one performed in a healthy environment that you enjoy, will take a toll on you after a while, requiring you to take some time off to rekindle your work ethic and spirit. If you've been bullied and want to start feeling better, you can: Take the time to pick up old hobbies

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Start dating

With Socializing with family and friends

3. Talk to a doctor or psychiatrist. You may need more substantial care than you can provide. If you have been under the control of a workplace bully for a long time, you may need psychotherapy or medication.

4. Au pair. Even if the bully is dealt with, you may feel more comfortable pursuing new job opportunities elsewhere. View this experience as an opportunity, not a setback. If you're unhappy at your job, developing new skills in a new profession, a different work environment, or simply moving to a new branch may give you a new outlook on life and work.

Method 4: Part 4: How to prevent bullying as an employer

1. Implement a "zero tolerance policy" for workplace bullying. Any health and wellness policy needs to include an anti-bullying program. Make sure your company's policies cover this option, that it has management support and that it's taken seriously throughout the company. Pair this policy with an open-door policy (which encourages employees to raise issues that bother them with their supervisors or higher management) and frequent information sessions about workplace bullying to ensure that employees at all levels are aware of this abuse.

2. Deal with bullying immediately. It’s easy for an employer to feel like they can just sit back and do nothing, hoping against hope that employees will be able to handle their own problems. But that won't happen. If you want a creative, healthy, and productive work environment, don't let problems fester among your employees. Investigate all accusations carefully and thoroughly. Even if the accusation comes from an overly sensitive employee and turns out to be a misunderstanding, these incidents are worth your attention.

3. Eliminate competition. Bullying often arises from a sense of competition in the workplace, causing some employees who feel threatened by the skills of others to attempt to frustrate them or sabotage their efforts through psychological warfare. If left unchecked, this workplace dynamic can be very dangerous and problematic. Competition in the workplace is based on the idea that employees want to be the best and will work harder if they are rewarded for success. While the presence of competition does increase productivity in some business models, it also increases employee turnover and creates a hostile and unfriendly environment.

4. Encourage communication between management and employees. The more engaged employees at all levels are, the less likely it is that employees at the bottom will have no recourse and need to solve their problems on their own. You can think of this problem like the plot of the book "Lord of the Flies". As long as the adults (management) are not absent, the children (lower employees) will be fine.

Tip: Watch out for vicious rumors and mean words disguised as jokes or banter. If these words hurt you, then it hurt your feelings.

The best thing to do when someone makes a mean comment about you is to remain silent and walk away, or give a short one-word reply that shows you have no interest in the bully's bullshit.

If the situation is serious, don’t be afraid to see a doctor. You can take sick leave or annual leave.

Insist on speaking out the problem candidly. Remember, you are not alone.

Remember, you are not telling a story when you report bullying. You and everyone else have the right to be safe, happy, treated fairly and free from bullying of any kind. Keep speaking up until someone listens and takes your problem seriously.

Never retaliate. This behavior will take things out of control and you may end up being blamed instead of the bully.

Think about the reaction. If the situation escalates, make sure you have witnesses to support any actions you may take in the future. The most important thing is that you immediately tell the other person that you will not be treated like this and that such behavior is unacceptable under any circumstances.

Continue to be yourself and continue to have confidence in yourself. Never believe the crap other people say and never let them stop you from being yourself.

Be prepared to have to go through company and HR department procedures and seek legal assistance.

Never take the bully’s words personally as this will only hurt your self-esteem.

The bully may question the victim with many "police" or "cross-examination" style questions. Questioning will discourage victims from speaking out. This makes them feel like they are the wrong person compared to the bully or harasser, causing them to feel anxious, defensive, and lonely.

The person being bullied will also feel very lonely, and the impact of the bullying incident on them can last for a long time, even for a lifetime.

Don’t believe myths about bullying, such as “Sticks and rocks may hurt me, but as long as I behave well, gossip will never hurt me” and others such as “I’ve grown up , so I can’t shed tears even if I have tears.” Words do hurt us, and they hurt deeply, and being bullied can become debilitating, surrounded by tears and sadness.

Warning Any form of physical or emotional abuse should be considered a serious threat to physical and mental health. Report the matter immediately and seek legal advice if necessary.