This article focussing specifically on individuals that are on the receiving end of bullying in a large multi-employee establishment. The advice laid out below is aimed at helping such individuals to deal with such problems. The problem of workplace bullying within a small business setting will be dealt with in a later article.

Most large employers have a comprehensive set of Regulations and Policies put in place by the Human Resources Department to deal with the bullying – including anti-bullying training packages. In reality these are not always adhered to and by the time the problem reaches the attention of Human Resources or Management, the bullying may well be in its advanced stages.

The purpose of this article is not to offer legal advice but rather common sense advice that has been tried and tested successfully through the years. If you have legal questions or legal difficulties pertaining to your workplace, you are strongly advised to seek professional legal help.

A worker may be bullied by one, two or several co-workers in the workplace. The worker may not be the only person being victimised by the bully/bullies – sometimes the individual worker may not even realise that there are other workers suffering at the hands of the same bully too. If you are able to stand up to them and “face them down”, then that’s entirely up to you, but understand the possible consequences, such as job loss or disciplinary action, that could flow from following that option.

For those who seek an alternative option to the one mentioned above, the main points that an individual should consider when trying to deal with bullying are:

YOUR CONDUCT: Some self-examination and soul-searching is called for here. Has your own conduct been proper and above board or could you possibly be accused of bullying yourself? Could the person you are accusing feel that you are the one who is bullying them? Make sure you are conducting yourself in a manner that will not leave you open to accusations of misbehaviour yourself.

At the risk of sounding like a party pooper, you should also consider toning down your jocular, gregarious conduct within the workplace, if your personality is that way inclined. It is a sad fact of life that familiarity breeds contempt – the more jocular and gregarious you are, the less respect/worse treatment you receive from others. Be professional and polite in your conduct – avoid being jocular and talkative. Be reserved and keep your guard up. A worker with a professional, reserved manner will always receive more respectful treatment than a jocular, talkative worker.

KEEP GOOD RECORDS: It is very important that you keep clear and accurate records of all incidents – dates, times, what happened, names of witnesses. Keep the records in a book journal or electronic document on your computer with one copy at work and a complete back up copy at home. E-mailing the recorded incident to yourself is a good way of date stamping the document that records the incident.

CONFIDE IN SOMEONE AT WORK: It may be a co-worker you trust and get on well with. Let them know what is going on. Ask them if they’d be willing to act as a quiet observer over the next few days/weeks and observe the manner in which the bully/bullies treats you.

MAKE DISCRETE ENQUIRIES: Find out from other co-workers, by enquiring discretely, if they are having the same problems with the bully/bullies that you are having problems with. If it turns out to be you are not their only victim, you will feel encouraged to know that you are not alone. Discuss strategies and compare notes with other co-workers in the same boat as you – but respect each other’s confidentiality. Don’t spread gossip all over the place. Furthermore, be mindful of any confidentiality requirements laid out by your Human Resources Department or Management.

MAKE THE APPROACH: If the bullying is still ongoing, you now have to approach the bully either directly or indirectly (through a third party). If you feel up to it, ask the bully for a word in private. In a polite but firm manner, mention the incidents that have occurred and let them know that you feel bullied and want it to stop. Make a record of the meeting. If there is more than one bully, use the indirect approach – see below.

If you don’t feel able to use the direct approach, then use the indirect approach and arrange a meeting with a third party. It should be someone with some kind of authority such as a union representative, a Human Resources official, a supervisor that has always treated you well, or even the Department Head. Explain what has gone on, give them incidents, times, dates and ask them to approach the bully/bullies on your behalf to let them know that you want it to stop.

Make a record of the meeting with the third party.

The above mentioned strategies are usually enough to get the bullying to stop. If the bullying does stop, you can now enjoy a less stressful time at work. In order to ensure that the bullying does not start again, minimise your dealings with those particular bullies in future, to the extent that you can.

If none of the above mentioned strategies work, then the bullying will continue. I hope to deal with that in my next article – PART 2.

I hope the points raised in this article have proved helpful in offering practical, sensible advice on how to deal with workplace bullying within a large organisation. Bullying is a serious matter. If left unchecked, it can get progressively worse, even to the point of physical intimidation, manhandling or violence. If you ever experience any kind of physical assault or violence in the workplace, you should file an official complaint and consider calling the police immediately.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Colette Simpson is a featured writer specialising in co-worker interaction and worker/management interaction. Her articles can be found on http://www.lifeinbiglondon.com

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ON WORKPLACE BULLYING

Workplace Bullying – GlobalTV Edmonton

Workplace bullying is usually seen as acts or verbal comments that could ‘mentally’ hurt or isolate a person in the workplace. Sometimes, bullying can involve negative physical contact as well. Bullying usually involves repeated incidents or a patter…

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