Workplace bullying has doubled in the last ten years with Unison suggesting that one in three staff claim they’ve been bullied in the past six months.
Victims of bullying can face losing their jobs, careers, marriage and home. Bullying may manifest itself in various ways:
- Constantly altered objectives, badly briefed tasks – leaving you confused about priorities
- Unrealistic deadlines or deliberate work overload – putting you under pressure until you make a mistake
- Close personal scrutiny, constant fault-finding and nit-picking- undermining your confidence
- Jekyll and Hyde behaviour, the bully may appear innocent in public – making it hard to unmask them, leading to self-doubt
- Public dressing-downs, personal jibes – providing ultimate humiliation and loss of self-worth
Self-check:
Before pointing an accusing finger:
- Ask yourself if it is really a sign of bullying, or your sensitivity
- Ask colleagues and other managers if they have a problem with your work/behaviour
Steps to take:
Ultimately, you may need to take your case through the company’s grievance procedures, an industrial tribunal or civil proceedings. In support of your case:
- Seek advice; talk to the HR department, bullying advice line, trade union rep, your GP
- Keep a log, recording all bullying incidents; keep copies of demeaning memos/e-mail messages; record constantly changing instructions
- Keep copies of annual appraisals and other evidence of your abilities
- Ask for written clarification of instructions
- Get witness statements for incompetent, humiliating or insincere behaviour by the bully
- Find out what happened to your predecessors; their testimony could be vital in industrial tribunal and civil proceedings
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