How to Deal with Bullying in the Workplace

I read an article in the September 09 issue of Image magazine www.image.ie this week about women bullying women in the workplace and how to deal with it. Women bullying women may well be on the rise in the Irish workplace as more women are in more senior positions now and everyone is more afraid of losing their job, so may react by bullying as it makes them feel more secure. Sadly though bullying crosses the sexes.

Bullying is defined as : persistent picking on individuals, shouting at staff in public or private, personal insults and use of offensive nicknames, public humiliations in any form, constant criticisms of trival matters, repeatedly accusing staff of errors which have not been made, deliberately interfering with post, spreading malicious rumours, encouraging staff to disregard another staff member's orders, ignoring an individual at meetings, giving ambiguous instructions, then setting objectives with impossible deadlines, inflicting menial tasks, taking credit for another's ideas, refusing reasonabl requests for leave, blocking a person's promotion - from "Workplace Bullying"- a leaflet published by the anti-bullying centre in Trinity College Dublin www.abc.tcd.ie

If any of the above seem all too familar the strategies recommended are : SARAH (S) Stop talking; (A) Active listening - what is the bully saying; (R) Reflect back - use phrases such as, "so what you're saying to me is..."; (A) Act professionally and assertively; (H) HR may be your next move. Again taken from the anti-bullying centre in Trinity College Dublin

All of the above sound very reasonably, but when you're being bullied it's not always that easy. Keep talking to friends, family, trusted colleagues and if necessary HR.

I have been bullied a number of times in my career. With experience, I now recognise it immediately and put steps in place to ensure it doesn't happen again. Awful though it is, whatever your age or situation, it helps hugely to speak as firmly and assertively as possible to the individual concerned when you are forced to interact with them. It is very helpful when you can see that it is nothing to do with you. It is their fear and insecurity. If counselling, assertiveness training or body work are helpful to you, do whatever it takes to get to a point, where the bully doesn't bother you any more.