Bullying in the workplace is a type of abusive behaviour where an individual or a group of people create an intimidating or humiliating work environment for another. This can make those subjected to it anxious, depressed and, in turn, impact on their family life.

Types of bullying

• Excessive monitoring of work, being ‘micro-managed’
• Exclusion, with negative consequences
• Verbal abuse or insults
• Repeatedly manipulating the person’s job specification and targets
• Assigning blame for things beyond the person’s control
• Menacing behaviour, intimidation or aggression
• Being treated less favourably than colleagues, including constant criticism of work.
• Being targeted due to gender, age, race or related derogatory comments.

I am being bullied, what can I do?

A few practical steps can help to address the problem.

• Keep a diary of all incidents, noting dates, times, any witnesses and the impact of the bullying behaviour on you. Keep copies of relevant documents e.g. malicious emails or texts.
• Your workplace may have a procedure for dealing with bullying. Check the staff handbook or intranet for guidance on the steps you should take next, which may include speaking to your HR manager or department.
• If you feel comfortable and safe to do so, talk to the person who is bullying you informally and explain the impact their behaviour is having on you. They may not have been aware that you perceived their behaviour as unacceptable. Let them know that if the situation does not improve you will be taking an official route to resolve it. Try not to let the situation become threatening or confrontational. Keep detailed notes of the conversation and “debrief” with a supportive friend or colleague if possible.
• Where speaking informally with the person who is bullying you is not an option, ask your manager or supervisor (or HR manager) to help you take the necessary formal steps to resolve the issue.
• Seek help from your GP if you are feeling low and anxious. Counselling or medication may help.

If the issue has not been resolved by the steps above, you may feel that you are left with no option but to resign. If this is the case, it may be open to you to claim that you have been constructively dismissed. To succeed with such a claim you should exhaust all internal remedies or procedures and seek specialist legal advice, preferably before leaving.

LawCare

If you are being bullied at work, contact LawCare in confidence on 1800 991 801. For more information, read their bullying factsheet.

eNewsletters

This article originally appeared in the February 2019 Law Society eZine. For more information, and to subscribe, visit eNewsletters.