Login / SignupHello! How have you been? How has your work week been? I failed to post an article early this weekend and I really do apologize to you. You are my regular reader who takes out time from your busy schedule to read my articles. You are my supporter and you show it in a way I really do appreciate. I value the time you spend reading, it gives me a reason to carry on and makes me realize that I am doing something valuable. I will reorganize my schedule. This week has been really hectic and long but that’s no excuse. Thank you so much for coming back here!
I don’t like bullies. Fifteen years ago or more, I was about nine or ten years old at the time, I remember having an encounter with a bully. It was in church. I know right?! …church. Yes, it was. He was about the same age. He looked cute if my memory is still intact. I thought he was cute. I was sitting on a short fence waiting for my mother to come pick me up.
Back in the days, one of the societies in my church would organize summer activities for kids and it will last all through the holiday. Parents were usually so happy to send their kids out for these activities because it was an opportunity for them to relax and get some air, besides the kids loved it as well. At least I did. I would day dream all through, patiently waiting for August and when it did come, I made sure to have the time of my life. I hope the program still holds. Kids looked up to it back then.
Anyway, that particular day, I was waiting for my mother after one of our activities. Somehow I got into a childish argument with this other kid on the block and he threatened to push me. Before I could complete my statement he had kicked me and I landed on the back of my head. All I remember afterward was that I opened my eyes and realized that I was in the church clinic. Ever since that day, I have never tolerated bullies. I would never want someone to hurt anyone in any way whatsoever, emotionally, psychologically or physically. It just doesn’t feel right.
I have heard of people who have had to deal with a bully at a workplace. Most organizations have policies in place to address and prevent such situations. Unfortunately, some people grow up and fail to leave such childish behaviors behind, then they carry such tendencies to the workplace. If you feel mistreated at work, intimidated and manipulated so much that you feel harmed, then you may be undergoing bullying at work.
You also need to be sure that you are a victim of workplace bullying by taking into consideration external factors. Do you feel sad when you remember that you have to be at work the next day? Do you complain to anyone who cares to listen about a particular worker at work? Do you feel depressed at work because of a co-workers behavior? Is your mental and general health deteriorating? Do you feel bad about your actions at work when you shouldn’t be?
If you happen to be someone facing workplace bullying then I believe you can use these tips to solve the situation and redeem your sanity.
Your response counts
You can’t have control over what your workplace bully says or does, but you have control over your reactions and response. Be in control. Don’t let anyone weigh you down at work or make you feel inferior. If you feel you are being bullied, speak up! Let this person know how you feel. You don’t need to bottle up your feelings and stay low all day or week.
Be calm about it. Be reasonable. You do not want to escalate the whole situation and end up looking like the bad person to your colleagues.
Document it
Your facts need to be straight. If you are going to have to report incidents that have been going on then you need proof. You can only win this “battle” when you have clear records of events. So keep records and track of all that is going on. Get witnesses if you can. If the situation is so terrible, then record incidents if necessary. The HR and management team will need proper records to make an informed decision.
Keeping this record will also help you have a better grasp of what you may be going through at work. It may be that you are not certain if you are being bullied or not. Documenting events will help you have a clearer picture and help you through this challenge.
Set up a meeting with your supervisor or HR representative
If the bully happens to be your supervisor,go to a higher person in rank. Take along with you, your documented events and witness if you have any. They will eventually come up with a course of action. Please note that it is advisable for you to wait for a while to be certain this is workplace bullying before reporting the matter.
Hopefully, the issue should be well resolved and you should work towards a recovery. If unfortunately, the matter isn’t properly handled, you may have to consider quitting your job or taking legal actions. I really hope the latter is not the case. In general, workplace bullying is bad and your health should be a top priority. You need to consider whether you have stress related health issues and work towards reversing it. You are in charge of your happiness at work.
As for the kid at church, I can’t even remember what happened to him. I let the matter die out or maybe my mother was more concerned with my wellbeing. That happened to me, I wouldn’t let this happen to you at work. If you need to speak to me, please feel free to send me a mail via the contact page and I will respond as soon as possible.
Now it’s your turn. Are you a victim of workplace harassment or have you witnessed one? How was it handled and what steps were taken? I would love to hear from you.
Have a great day ahead!
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Zinnyify
