Office bullying, and it has become a place to prey on the vulnerable

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The Scenario – Your colleague has just shouted at you in front of your whole team, humiliating you yet again after months of similar conduct by them.

Despite your repeated complaints to your line manager about the bullying and its impact on your mental health, the conduct has continued and nothing has been done to address your complaints.

Consequently, this has led to you suffering headaches, sleepless nights, anxiety and low self-esteem and eventually a mental breakdown. Sound familiar?

office bullying

I receive dozens of enquiries each month describing similar situations as outlined above. Many people are at their lowest having endured repeated bullying resulting in them being mentally unwell.

I believe that as a society we are led to believe that bullying is confined to a children’s playground and that as adults we have learnt to express ourselves in a constructive way, caring for each other’s wellbeing as well as being effective communicators.

However, sometimes the workplace is no different to a playground where the bully’s pick targets who are more vulnerable and less likely to fight back.

Recently, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah. the Director General of Malaysia. has highlighted the growing problem of workplace bullying. He said:

“Workplace bullying occurs in various forms such as work being stolen, sabotaged, [being] humiliated or ostracised by colleagues, bullying in workplaces may also involve threats, gossip and offensive jokes that belittle others. This leads to distress and can lead to emotional hurt.”

Most countries around the world acknowledge that workplace bullying is a problem. It results in poor work and friction in the office, and the earlier it can be addressed the better for all those involved. However, that’s in an ideal world.

I would like to believe that in the future I may receive less enquiries regarding bullying in the workplace, as I would like to think there will be better practices implemented by employers to assist those who are most vulnerable.

I remain optimistic.

Office bullying, and how it has become a playground to prey on the vulnerable

The Scenario – Your colleague has just shouted at you in front of your whole team, humiliating you yet again after months of similar conduct by them.

“Workplace bullying occurs in various forms such as work being stolen, sabotaged, [being] humiliated or ostracised by colleagues, bullying in workplaces may also involve threats, gossip and offensive jokes that belittle others. This leads to distress and can lead to emotional hurt.”

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