Wow, I just finished reading an article from last Sunday's Detroit Free Press newspaper about workplace bullying. I was bullied in elementary school, for no other reason but for being smaller than others, or too quiet or just plain minding my own business. But those days are long gone for me, but unfortunately not for others. I couldn't imagine being bullied at work. I mean come on, I am there to enrich my life, make a difference and make money! Ironically in the midst of the massive campaigns against child and teen bullying and cyber-bullying and violence - the exact same behaviors are occurring in workplaces. Who would have thought, working parents now have to deal with making sure their kids are not victims of bullying as well as themselves!
According to the article "Bullies at work all too common" a CareerBuilder survey revealed 27% of workers admit to being bullied at work. This bully behavior included:
- Being harshly criticized
- Being yelled at in front of other colleagues
- Having belittling comments made towards them
- Stealing credit for their work
After reading the article, I thought maybe I did know that these types of things are happening - I can say I have seen this type of behavior happen to others. I just didn't put it in the bullying category, instead I put it in the a-hole category. I then wonder are these so called adult bullys, the result of grown up bullies, or the victims of childhood bullies trying to seek retribution for having been bullied? Who knows. It's wrong either way.
If you feel that you are being bullied document all incidents in detail and if feel that you can address the person who is doing the bullying, do so they may not know they are bullying you. On the other hand, if you can clearly identify that the the person who is bullying you, knows it, doesn't care and dares you to tell someone; Still document the incidents in detail and run not walk to your Human Resources department to seek resolution.
Here are a couple resources available concerning how to handle bullying (child and adult):
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