How To Handle Bullying At Work

When we think of a bully, the association is generally with high school or some kind of teenage environment. Unfortunately, not everyone matures as they grow up, and some people carry their bullying tendencies into the workplace.

Just like in school, bullying at a workplace can take on multiple forms, such as verbal insults and harassment, physical, non-verbal, and even psychological attacks. This doesn’t necessarily have to come from a higher-up; in most cases, people have reported being bullied by a peer or within their own social circles.

Bullying at work is a serious problem, with millions of workers in the United States facing this struggle at their workplaces. Especially with the transition over to remote work during COVID-19, there were more opportunities to bully someone directly or anonymously online. This can be extremely concerning given that the company might be unable to monitor online messages or interactions exchanged between workers. In fact, being behind a screen might even embolden certain people into being more unprofessional, insensitive, or rude with their comments toward their coworkers.

Despite this being such a concerning phenomenon, many people aren’t aware of how to better protect themselves from bullies at work. In this article, we explore the different steps you can take to handle bullying at work better.

Familiarize Yourself with Your Company’s Policies on Bullying

If you or someone you know is being bullied at work, the first step you can take is to research and familiarize yourself with your company’s stance on bullying or unwelcoming behavior at the workplace. Most companies tend to have a zero-tolerance policy toward such actions and clear reporting procedures and guidelines for when incidents happen. Knowing your company’s stance on bullies and bullying can help you approach HR or higher-ups with better knowledge of what to prepare and how firmly they will act on the report.

Talk to HR or Respective Higher-Ups

Regardless of whether there is a company policy on bullying, the next step is generally to speak to the staff at human resources or the relevant managers that can address the issue. There can be pressure to sort out such incidents with your bully directly. However, you should not feel pressured into speaking directly with your bully if you feel unsafe. If you are struggling with the confrontation, your manager and HR should be open to discussing alternatives and the next steps with you.

Make Clear Records of the Incidents

So long as you are prepared to take the next steps, such as talking to HR or filing a lawsuit, the most crucial thing to do is to start collecting evidence. This includes taking screenshots of conversations, transcribing conversation exchanges, emails, witness accounts, and any other forms of communication or interactions that can support your claim. Not only will this help build up the core of your argument, but it will also create a clear timeline of what and how long the bullying has been happening. This ensures that you will be better prepared once you engage with your higher-ups or an attorney.

Engage an Attorney

When it comes to bullying, there is a chance that there are overlaps with workplace discrimination or harassment laws. In worse situations, there is also the possibility that there is cause for defamation. To better understand your rights and any penalties you are entitled to, the best course of action is to contact an attorney. However, do take note that choosing to engage an attorney might mean that continuing to work at that company or department may not be a viable option anymore. Being aware of your company’s stance on lawsuits against them or other employees would also be a reasonable consideration to take into account before engaging a lawyer.