Bullying at Work

Bullying in the workplace is not always obvious. It can occur through a series of small incidents, where a person is perhaps undermined, belittled, patronised or criticised. When taken in isolation each incident may seem trivial so, often, this behaviour is not recognised as bullying and is accepted as 'normal'.

But bullying can damage a person's health and self-esteem, affecting their happiness and performance both inside and outside the workplace.

The bullied person may not feel confident to deal with the situation within the workplace, or may fear that he or she is risking his or her job by doing so. Colleagues may seem unsupportive or too afraid themselves to speak out.

This fear is understandable but it allows the bully to continue. If you are being bullied it is important to check your employer's relevant policies and to take any recommended action.

If you want to know why someone is a bully and what you can do to try to get the bully to stop bullying you click onto these links:
'Reasons why someone may bully' and 'Things that may stop someone bullying'.

You may want to talk to someone - someone who won't judge you or tell you what to do, but who will listen to your thoughts and fears and feelings. Befriending centres can help. You don't have to tell them who you are, and everything you say will be treated in complete confidence.

If you'd like to talk to someone right now, you can click here.

There are many resources available for people who are bullied at work. We have listed some here:

The Mobbing Encyclopaedia (English, Deutsch, Français, Svenska)

Bully Busters (USA)

The Andrea Adams Trust

UK National Workplace Bullying Advice

Workplace bullying advice and consultancy services in South Africa

pesten.pagina.nl (Nederlands)

MIMA - Movimento Italiano Mobbizzati Associati (Italian)

Landsforeningen mot mobbing på arbeidsplassen (Norwegian)

mobbing.nu (Español)

Harcèlement moral (Français)