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While you might feel like the only one facing such a situation, workplace bullying happens to more people than you think. In fact, various vetted sources did the research that showed that more than 50 percent of working people face some sort of workplace bullying.
And the more difficult part is that workplace bullying isn’t like the blatant incidents that happen in schools. It is more subtle, sometimes making it hard to pick up on signs. This is why many workers just ignore and bear it; not knowing what is happening and how to fix it.
Workplace Bullying
Any irrational, unprofessional and potentially harming action directed at one or a group of employees falls under workplace bullying. In some instances, it can be very subtle and happen only once. On the other hand, it can be rampant and threat the worker’s well-being. This can lead to unmotivated employees who find reasons to stay from work in order to avoid bullies.
This is why it is important to be aware of signs you can use to detect workplace bullying and take appropriate actions to prevent the problem from getting more complicated. In fact, the Fair Work Commission in Australia has identified rules, regulations and other laws to deal with workplace bullying.
Signs of Workplace Bullying
Sabotage
In highly stressful and competitive work environments sabotage can become a big problem. Whether it is will small stuff like lying about dates and times or something bigger like ruining someone’s project, it can hurt the employee and the company.
Manipulation
Manipulation is one of the most common types of bullying that co-workers use to make each other feel insecure. This usually happens when bullies act passive-aggressively to make someone else feel threatened and confused, eventually giving in. They’ll first use compliments to gain trust and then ignore and be rude to make their co-workers feel upset.
Belittling and Intimidation
The competitive nature of a consider when searching job at home or the dynamic between a senior and junior employee can sometimes lead to the prior getting belittled. Bullies use this tactic to undermine their co-worker’s ideas and performance in front of their superiors. They do this to either get ahead of their competition or due to some personal vendetta against them.
On the other hand, bullies use threats to induce fear and intimidate their subordinated or colleagues to get them to change their behaviour according to their wishes.
Exclusion or Ignorance
This often happens when unwanted competition enters into an already established workplace. Bullies purposefully ignore and exclude their colleagues to make them feel isolated. Bullies usually do this by selectively ignoring someone while communicating with others, purposefully forgetting to invite someone or excluding them from social and work-related activities.
Unreasonable Expectations
This bullying often comes from the top management, supervisors and superiors who want employees to fail. To be successful in their agenda, they set really high and unreasonable expectations that they know employees won’t be able to meet.
Managing Workplace Bullying
Dealing with bullies in the workplace can be a bit tricky as they are all grown up. If you do catch a workplace bullying incident, it is important that you deal with in a way that it never happens again. You can work with special organizations like Employment Innovations HR services or LawAdvice Lawyers to guide you. With their help, you can avoid facing a bigger problem and prevent the incident from happening again.
Remember that dealing with the bullies promptly, in the right way is incredibly important. This will ensure your worker’s safety, improve their performance and put your business in a good light in the market.
