Dealing with Workplace bullying

Recently, someone got in touch with me for counselling on Workplace bullying. He wanted to know if there were some characteristics that made certain individuals vulnerable to workplace bullying, and the strategies to avoid such behaviour. The emotional pain he was going through made me share the post below, so that others going through the same issue could benefit from it.

Workplace bulling is not something that anyone invites. However, it has been noticed that there are certain common characteristics of targets of Workplace bullying. As surprising as they might seem, they are:

1. Competence: the target is very good at the work they do and appreciated. This builds a jealousy among some peers, who resort to bullying to get a leg up.
2. Difference: the target is different from the masses. There could be racial, nationality, or cultural differences, which creates biases and perceptional gaps. This leads to lack of rapport building that might lead to colleagues being non-supportive.
3. Vulnerability: the target is more introvert-ish and non-confrontational. The target might also lack a strong social network of friends. This builds a confidence in the bully that the target is harmless.
4. Popularity: the target is social and well liked by a lot of others. This builds insecurity in the bully about their own status or popularity, that leads to the harassment.
5. Nicety: the target is very caring, nice, good natured, and often lets people have their way with them. The bully thinks that these niceties drain the power the target has at work.

One or more of the factors above put together make the individual a soft target for workplace bullying. This creates emotional and psychological stress in the target, which if not resolved by changes to their internal or external environment could develop into something serious.

The ‘internal’ changes that one could bring within themselves to avoid this negative behaviour from colleagues at work are listed below.

1. Making more friends outside of the circle of influence of the bullies. The stronger the social circle, the better. This would automatically make the bully withhold the behaviour.
2. Seeing a psychologist outside of work. Usually the victims feels more comfortable sharing details with someone outside the organisation. Seeking outside helps in gaining a third party perspective of the situations, and might go a long way in the healing process by making changes within self.
3. Continuing the good work and socialising at work. These are the target’s strengths and should be built on. Good work speaks for itself, making the target a valuable and respected employee. Also, networking and socialising with the  group above the sphere of influence of the bully can discourage the bully in engaging further.
4. Being assertive and confrontational when one is subjected to anti-social behaviour. It’s sad but true, that nice people are often taken for granted. Stop going out of the way to help others and assert authority. This proves to the bully that the target is no longer vulnerable, and is most likely to get back at them.
5. Studying about the culture and beliefs of the masses, sensitises one towards the work styles and beliefs. Each organisation, nation, and cultural has certain subtle rules that are considered sacrosanct by the people there. Cultural sensitivity is an essential requirement to succeed in any new environment.

I hope the basic tips above are of help.

Cheers,

Spardha 🙂