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Work Bullying

  • ​Bullying is horrible

    Bullying is harmful, it is a condemned behavior by whoever and wherever it takes place.
     

    Bullying is also repetitively, systematically hostile actions with the intention to humiliate the other. Workplace Bullying takes places with the goal/intending to also harm, but to control and manipulate the targeted worker.

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    The workplace bully is also in a low vibrational state, like all bullies. The intention is also to lower the vibration of the (co) worker. So the target feels unconfident/insecure and has a lower self-esteem.

    With the end goal to undermine her/his work.

    ​

    The difference between school bullying and workplace bullying is that some institutions may practice bullying to conform to their organizational policies and rules.

  • According to the Workplace Bullying Institute:

    • More than 60 million working people in the United States are affected by bullying.

    • Every day, employees are abused and bullied at work. The issue of workplace bullying affects nearly one-third of all employees at some point during their careers, or 48.6 million Americans every year.

    • 30% of workers have directly dealt with bullying at the office and 43.2% dealt with bullying while working remotely.
       

    Research from the Workplace Bullying Institute conducted in 2017 indicates that:

    • About 70 percent of bullies are male, and about 30 percent are female.

    • Both male and female bullies are more likely to target women.

    • Sixty-one percent of bullying comes from bosses or supervisors. Thirty-three percent comes from co-workers.The remaining 6 percent occurs when people at lower employment levels bully their supervisors or others above them.

    • Protected groups are bullied more frequently. Only 19 percent of people bullied were white.

      ​A 2015 research review of studies in seven European countries and Australia found a workplace bullying rate of about 11%.Other studies suggest Asian countries have a higher rate.
      43% of adults mention in a job interview that they have been bullied in the past.

  • Bullying in the workplace can be vertical or horizontal.

    Vertical bullying: bullying by managers to the workers and by workers to the manager.

    Horizontal bullying: bullying that takes place among colleagues.

Which type of worker might be bullied at the workplace?

The workplace bully may likely target:

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  • Talented/skilled worker

    Talented, skilled, creative workers or workers that have more experience. Workers that are more intelligent than others, they stand out. The bully may be a co-worker or a boss/manager that is jealous and feels threaten by this talented worker. The manager can undermine the work and can steal ideas of his target.
     

  • Anxious, depression, introverted worker

    The bully picks here the coworker with a low vibrational state. A worker that is submissive, anxious. That has low self-esteem, no confidence. The bully is in a low vibrational state and parasite on lower energetically individual.

    • Well liked worker
      Al contrary to a lonely child, a well-liked adult/worker can be the target because he is popular amongst the coworkers and manager. A coworker or manager feels threaten because this worker get attention for delivering
       

    • Assertive, ethical and honest worker
      A worker that is honest, assertive and ethical that confronts his colleagues and manager can definitely be a target of bully. To bring this individual down energetically, lowers his vibration, by making him doubt his/herself. An example is a whistleblower.
       

    • Team player
      The employee that is a team player, collaborative, cares for others also can be a target for the bully. Because he is not in charge, he doesn’t have power.

Why does the bully bullied at work?

The bully at work is also in a low vibrational frequency.

And parasites from the energy of the type of (co) workers mention above for mainly those reasons:
 

  • The need to control/abuse of power.

  • The bully is jealous/envy of his co-workers or worker.

  • The bully feels threaten by his co-worker.

  • Insecure about own capacity and abilities.

  • Bullying is often verbal or psychological and therefore difficult to prove.
    It happens most of the time subtle and unnoticed. 
    There is few law that handles bullying.
    The federal and state law protects workers against bullying when it involves physical harm or when the target belongs to a protected group. (disabilities people or colored people)
     

    It is important to be aware of the difference between bullying and harassment. Bullying is repeated hostile, malicious behavior with the intention of humiliating individuals, ruining their reputation, and bringing emotional harm. (decrease self-worth)
    Bullying is not always legal, some sorts of psychical bullying (assault, threatening, stealing, intimidation) are against the law.
    And if bullying is related to protected groups under discrimination law it might be cataloged as harassment.
    Harassment is a onetime action and is illegal. It is bullying of protected groups based on race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability. Both bullying and harassment are about: purposely causing psychological harm to another individual and power and control.
     

    Although adults bully for the same reasons children do. It is mostly about any appearance, psychical characteristic that is different in the eyes of the bully. Example: Being tall, thin, having acne.

    Also bullying is based on: age, race, religion and gender.

    This is discrimination. 
     

    There are specific types of bullying in the workplace.
    It is essential to know how to identify these types of bullying and how to deal with the bully.

How to identify bullying in the workplace?

Indicators of bullying that are related to the workplace.

  • Continuous denial for time off without valid reason and forced overtime.
     

  • Work output related: 

    • Work sabotage.

    • Interference in work.

    • Picking or take credit for ideas.

    • Unrealistic goals.

    • Single out best employees or who can’t keep up.

    • Giving more heavily workload then the rest of the team.

    • Deliberate misleading of work tasks.

    • Excessive performance monitoring.
       

  • Criticism
    Overly harsh and unfair criticism. (not objective and unconstructive)
     

  • Verbal abuse
    Mocking, threats, humiliation, gossip, spreading rumors/untruths, humiliated jokes.

    • Putting someone down in meetings constantly.
       

    • Intimidation, threats and social exclusion/isolation.
       

    • Aggression: verbal or non verbal/psychical bullying.
       

    • Invading personal space. (work area)
       

    • Sexual harassment.
       

    • Institutional bullying: all kind of bullying as mention above established in the policies of the organization.
      (humiliating practices by managers).

     

    Vertical Bullying

    Workplace bullying takes place mostly by supervisors/managers.
    Bullying by managers (vertical bullying) might be an abuse of power, shouting, denying time off or transfer to another department, negative reviews, firing or non-promotional threats and humiliation. Managers can also be bullied by their workers. (vertical bullying).

    The worker can show:

    • Undermining authority, disrespectful. (refusing to complete tasks)

    • spread rumors about the manager.

    • Bring the manager in an incompetent light.
       

    Horizontal bullying
    Colleagues of the same or different departments. The bullying is often gossiping, unfair criticism, non-collaboration and work sabotage. (for example by not collaborating by giving data)

  • Bullying can have serious psychological and psychical consequences for whoever is being bullied, children, teenagers or adults.

     

    The effects for the worker might be

    • Anxiety and depression.

    • Sleep difficulties.

    • Constant worry about work even in free time.

    • Not wanted to go to work.

    • Absence of workplace.

    • Less output at work. (demotivation)

    • Avoid social activities.

    • Burn out.

    • Health issues. (high blood pressure, fatigue)

    • Private life.

  • First of all although you might feel powerless, know that bullying is never your fault! The bully is a wounded parasite. He is in a lower vibrational frequency.
     

    Which actions can you take?
     

    1. Avoid contact
      Limit communication with the bully. If you sit in the same office space, request to sit elsewhere.
       

    2. Tell someone
      It is important that you tell someone you trust. This can be a colleague or manager (if he isn’t the bully) a friend, family member, human resources, union representative.They can give you advice and more important give you moral support.
       

    3. Document the bullying
      Write every action of the bully. The time of the event, where it took place and names of people/coworkers present.
       

    4. Keep records/save all evidence
      Keep all written threat that has been addressed. When file a complaint at the any organization (human resources, Union or police) is important to have proven.
       

    5. Confront the bully
      Confront the bully only when you are prepared. Know what to say. Go with a witness (colleague or manager) (if he isn’t the bully) when confronting the bully. You can indicate that you don’t accept such a behavior (describe his action). And you want him to stop. Keep it short, stay calm and above the situation.​
       

    6. Report the bullying
      Report to human resources. If feel uncomfortable, you can ask a colleague you trust. (maybe he/she had witnessed an event and is comfortable to go with you to human resources)
       

    7. Workplace policies
      Look up for the workplace policies against bullying that the company may have.
       

    8. Legal guidance
      If human resources aren’t helpful or a representative of your Union. You can hire a lawyer for advice.
       

    9. Seek professional support
      It is crucial to take care of your mental and psychical health when experiencing bullying and after. Talk to a therapist.
       

    10. Discrimination
      For bullying based on protected characterizes as race, age, gender, sex, religion, disability you can approach a union if you are a member. You can also Commission (EEOC) or another organization regard with this issue in your country.

  • If the bullying continues you can ask for a transfer to another department or seek another job. Your mental health is the most important thing in life.

     

    Coworkers that witness bullying can give their support by listening and reporting the event.

    It is in their indirect benefit to help to stop the bullying.

    ​

    Organizations/Employers should send a clear message to bullies that bullying won’t be tolerated by implementing disciplinarian procedures. And invite everyone that is a target to file a report and handle this effectively and immediately.
    By accepting workplace bullying the organization will lose capable talented employees and lose money. (absenteeism and job quitting). Because bullying affects the whole work environment. It lowers the morale of all employees.
     

Take care of yourself

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Take all the actions mentioned to stop the bullying. If they don’t help seek another job.

If you can’t leave your job then taking care of yourself become more imperative.

Your emotional health and psychical health are the most important. Without health, we cannot do anything!


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In some cases, these tips don't help to really stop the bullying.

 

It is important to stop the bullying and is it very crucial to heal this trauma.

Yes, bullying is a traumatic experience.

If you are being bullied now at work you have been in the past, but you didn’t heal this trauma. If bullying is not treated, it leaves scars.

Even when the bullying stops or you leave your job, it is still important to recover and heal.

That’s why it is essential to seek help. It is vital that this pain is dealt with.

 

In my coaching program where I coach, you step by step on how to stop the bullying and to heal. According to your specific situation.

NO ONE WILL EVER MESS WITH YOU AGAIN.

The tips above are general.

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