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Am I being Bullied?

by Lorenza Clifford on Wed 04 Oct 2006 09:51 AM BST | Permanent Link | Cosmos

You may be unsure whether you are being bullied, whether you are just under pressure at work or whether perhaps you are being over-sensitive. This checklist is an indicator of some of the most frequently quoted bullying behaviours. It may help you decide what your next step should be:

When I make a positive contribution it is ignored or belittled
Minor problems or mistakes are blown up and given undue importance
Workload keeps increasing
Given less control over my work
My work is being scrutinised and my performance criticised constantly / destructively
I am not invited to meetings that concern me and my work
Information that should come to me is persistently bypassing me
Warnings, disciplinary and grievances procedures are used against me unfairly
Information that I request is witheld from me without proper reasons offered
If a joke or sarcastic comment is made, it is usually at my expense.

If you agree with most of the statements above, you may have been targetted by a bully, seek help.

If you have disagreed with most of the statements it is unlikely that you are being bullied.

If you are still doubtful, seeking personal advice or coaching could help.

Note: there is no definitive list of bullying behaviours since context is everything. If you are feeling negative towards your work, because of the behaviour of others, it can become a rut that is hard to get out of.

Taking action early prevents bullying from escalating and can lead to happy working relationships for the future.

[Adapted from Survive Bullying at Work: Steps to Success, by Lorenza Clifford, A & C Black, 2006]

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Re: Am I being Bullied?

by June on Thu 07 Sep 2006 11:18 AM BST | Profile | Permanent Link

What is the best way of getting support for people who find the bullying they've been suffering is intolerable, and who want to get out of their work environment with dignity - and ideally, some financial compensation? Who should they turn to?

Re: Am I being Bullied?

by Lorenza on Sat 09 Sep 2006 02:47 PM BST | Profile | Permanent Link

I think a long response to this question is required:

Under UK law, employers have a duty to provide a safe workplace for its employees. Bullying at work is recognised as a cause of stress by the Health and Safety Executive. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 can be used to hold employers liable for subjecting employees to work conditions that foreseeably cause psychological injury.

Laws relating to unfair dismissal and constructive dismissal have also been used successfully to seek redress against employers who have subjected an employee to severe mistreatment. The employer, in this type of case, must be deemed to have breached the implied terms of the contract by allowing bullying to continue after a grievance has been raised.

In most cases, it will help your case if you have reported the bullying and its effect on you. Your employer may respond quickly and effectively to resolve the situation when informed about bullying problems you are facing.

By law, bullying should be tackled by employers and dealt with in the same way as any other safety hazard. However, the most common experience of targets after reporting bullying is that nothing happens. In fact, more often the bullying gets worse rather than better.

There is evidence to suggest that reporting bullying to trade union representatives or to personnel staff is most likely to improve the situation, and so this would therefore seem the safest option. Representatives of Employee Safety (ROES) or Occupational Health workers should also be able to help you if you consult them. BUT if you are in a smaller organisation these routes may not be available to you.

Career coaches specialised in helping people to sort out career derailment due to bullying would be instrumental in helping you to get the help you need in the context of your future career. My organisation, Coachange Ltd, can help in this respect, and can also help the employer to make appropriate changes so that the issue is dealt with for the future.

You can also try: The Andrea Adams Trust is the world's only non-political, non-profit making charity operating as the focus for the diverse and complex problems caused by bullying behaviour in the workplace.