Bullying has been defined as ‘repeated mistreatment: sabotage by others that prevented work from getting done, verbal abuse, threatening conduct, intimidation and humiliation’ by the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI). It is one of the greatest threats that exist to corporate wellness in the modern business environment. As many as 35 percent of workers report having experienced some form of bullying whilst at work, and 62 percent of the perpetrators were men.
Another poll, conducted by Harris Interactive in 2011, reported that 34 percent of women surveyed said that they had fallen victim to bullying while in the workplace. Out of all the people surveyed, 40 percent of those who said they had been bullied also admitted that they had never reported the behaviour to their employer. Even more worryingly, of those that did report bullying behaviour to their employers, a shocking 62 percent of respondents stated that no action had been taken as a result of their complaint. Those reported to have carried out workplace bullying were from all different office ranks, religions and ethnic races.
Reasons for bullying in the workplace vary, with some feeling that it was fine to impose control in order to get ahead, and others trying to maintain their dominance or popularity in the workplace for personal reasons. Those who are bullied tend to suffer from anxiety and low self esteem as a result of the victimisation.
If you feel you are vulnerable to workplace bullying there are some steps you can take to safeguard your wellbeing, such as seeking out a trusted mentor to confide in, keeping a good relationship with the rest of your colleagues and making sure your superiors are aware of the good work you are doing. You can also defeat bullies by remaining strong in yourself and not giving them the satisfaction of seeing you upset or intimidated.
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