Within the field of education we stress a no bullying policy and make efforts to educate every student, parent, teacher (instructional employee) and non-instructional employee regarding bullying. It is apparent why we would educate students, parents, and teachers but why educate employees who are not in contact with students? The reason is workplace bullying. When you were in school I'll bet you could name the bully (or the person that had that reputation) and you hopefully steered clear of that person and never had to deal with them. For many people, it was not too difficult to avoid the bully - that is, unless he was in your class. You were "captive" then. An easy mark. The same goes for adults and bullies in the workplace. You must be at work and there the bully is - waiting for his/her captive target.
Workplace bullies go by many titles: co-worker, boss, vendor. They have many pseudonyms: shark, know-it-all, screamer, snake, gatekeeper, critic, attention seeker, two-face, etc.. (of course, there are quite a few more colorful names I have left off - you know them...). Bullies intend to circumvent the typical path to making something happen (whether it be gaining acceptance for their idea all the way to promotion) and use manipulation as their means to accomplishing their goals. To confirm as to whether that difficult person you deal with at work is actually a bully - take this test adapted from Psychology Today:
1. Does your boss blame you for fabricated "errors"?
2. Are you given unreasonable job demands?
3. Does your boss threaten you with being fired?
4. Does your boss insult you and/or criticize your abilities? Does this happen in front of others?
5. Are you excluded by the bully given the silent treatment?
6. Does your boss yell, scream, or curse at you?
7. Does your boss inconsistently enforce rules?
8. Does your boss deny or discount your accomplishments and/or take credit for your success?
2. Are you given unreasonable job demands?
3. Does your boss threaten you with being fired?
4. Does your boss insult you and/or criticize your abilities? Does this happen in front of others?
5. Are you excluded by the bully given the silent treatment?
6. Does your boss yell, scream, or curse at you?
7. Does your boss inconsistently enforce rules?
8. Does your boss deny or discount your accomplishments and/or take credit for your success?
So...what to do? First, be professional, be professional, be professional. I can't stress it enough. Many times when an employee confronts a bully in the workplace it does not have a happy ending - for the employee. Make sure to take some time to think through the specifics of what is occurring and even take notes. Practice responses to the bully so when you are in a particular situation the next time, you are ready to be assertive (not aggressive). Know when to escalate your concerns and when to walk away.
For additional information on how to handle a workplace bully, check out these links:
