Bullying at work is sadly commonplace. Surveys show that at some time during their working lives, half of UK workers have endured bullying. Harassment and intimidation in the workplace can have a severe effect on the mental health of employees. We’re taking a look at what the signs of bullying at work are, and the mental health symptoms it can cause.
What are the Signs of Bullying at Work?
If you’re having to ask yourself “am I being bullied at work?”. There’s a very strong chance the answer is yes. Bullying is any behaviour from an individual or group in the workplace that can cause you discomfort and upset.
Our overview of some of the common signs of bullying at work will help you understand what bullying looks and feels like.
Common Signs of Bullying at Work
Bullying is not just about physical actions, it’s about how you are made to feel. A common sign is experiencing emotional distress.
If you are at work and frequently feeling:-
- Upset or on edge.
- Made fun of or disrespected.
- Frightened or anxious.
Then this can be a strong indicator that there is a problem with bullying in your work life. Feeling constantly on edge in the workplace is a strong sign that all is not as it should be.
Examples of Bullying in the Workplace
A wide range of negative behaviours can be classified as bullying in the workplace.
Common examples of bullying in the workplace can include:-
- Constant and unwarranted criticism of your work.
- Unpleasant remarks about your personal appearance.
- Being excluded from social events.
- Promotions and training opportunities being offered to others and not you.
- People spreading lies and rumours about you.
- Unwanted sexual advances or sexual harassment.
- Threats of violence, or being the victim of assualt at work.
Signs of Bullying & Negative Impacts in the Workplace
A responsibility exists for everyone to deal with bullying at work. One way to identify a problem with bullying in the workplace is to learn to identify the signs and symptoms that show someone may be suffering from the attentions of a workplace bully.
1. Indecision
Some people are naturally indecisive. But when a person who is normally comfortable making decisions becomes irresolute, there may be an underlying problem. Bullying may cause this. Bullied workers lose confidence in their ability to be decisive when a bully criticises and harasses them.
2. Unable to Cope
Bullying may cause people to become unable to cope. Workers who usually manage to accomplish tasks with ease may suddenly appear bewildered by the simplest things. Bullies can shatter workers’ feelings of self-esteem. This results in the victims wishing they were anywhere other than the workplace.
3. Reduced Alertness
Many people may suffer from reduced alertness because of occasional tiredness. But a consistent fall in alertness suggests a more worrying cause. Bullying is distracting. It can interrupt a worker’s normal thought patterns. Bullied people may fail to pay attention to what’s happening around them. To their colleagues, they seem far less alert.
4. Reduced Efficiency
Reduced alertness because of bullying can lead to inefficiency. Previously efficient workers may begin to neglect duties. Or they may perform duties but seem unconcerned about getting them right. Poor efficiency, like many of the other symptoms listed here, can also lead to problems for colleagues. They have to resolve problems because of a worker’s failure to do his or her job properly.
5. Poor Concentration
Some people who suffer bullying try to put the matter to the backs of their minds. But worries about bullying have a way of coming to the fore. Poor concentration is a symptom of this. Supervisors in particular may notice the effects of this on workers. And for the bullied worker, poor concentration can be frustrating.
6. Anxiety
This frustration may lead to anxiety. Alternatively, someone may exhibit anxiety as a direct result of bullying. Bullied people may become anxious about the security of their jobs. They may worry about their next meeting with the bully. Or they may be concerned about their reaction to bullying and their failure to stand up for themselves.
7. Irritability
Irritability is easy to spot. A colleague may have a short temper or make uncharacteristically nasty remarks. Irritability could be the result of a bad night’s sleep or a troublesome journey to work. But it can also be a sign of someone who is emotionally fragile after bullying.
8. Tiredness
When bullied, some people withdraw into themselves and show outward signs of tiredness. They may, when asked, be unable to explain just why they are so weary. Such tiredness can also have a link to depression. This is one of the most alarming psychological effects of bullying.
9. Confusion
Confusion is different to reduced alertness and poor concentration. It’s a mental state thats distressing for both the sufferers and their colleagues. Once again, confusion is fairly easy to spot. But a bullied person may not just be confused about work. He or she may also become confused about personal matters unrelated to the workplace.
10. Burn Out
The ultimate symptom of bullying is burn out. At this point, the sufferer is physically and mentally exhausted. What an employer should find out is why the burn out occurred, and what to do to prevent this happening again.
The above symptoms are not exclusive. Nor do they automatically indicate bullying. But proven links exist between these symptoms and bullying behaviour. Such behaviour can affect workers badly. The overriding concerns of experts in this field are physical and mental health problems.
Bullying in the Workplace Can Make Workers Sick
Bullied people can develop a long list of health difficulties. These include depression, colitis, migraines and high blood pressure.
Victims of bullies may also have dry skin and rashes, coughs, frequent indigestion and a need to urinate often. These health issues are for a doctor to check and rectify. But the long term solution is to stop bullying.
As such, all workers should be on the alert for symptoms of bullying. It’s better to address these than allow accumulated stress to damage a worker’s health and lead them to take time off sick with mental health issues.
If an employee has to leave a job because bullying at work has made them unwell, and the employer has failed to deal with it, they may have grounds to go to an employment tribunal and seek compensation.
Ive gone through hell due to lead supervisor at charity I work with where we ironically advise people about their rights. This is second time in this toxic place whereby Ive been bullied by a supervisor and she has gaslighted, manipulated and downright lied to turn everything against me and is the most toxic vile person I have ever worked under. Ive had constant migraine ill health and severe anxiety and depression because of this vile human being and yet despite my grievance Ive been the one to be downgraded and not believed to the point Ive felt like taking my own life.
I have long suffered anxiety but my work place have said if you cant do your job the same as everyone else then leave. The doctor gave me a letter for amended duties one task at a time. I was told Im taking the mick and this is a business. cant do your job then leave. I was told Im being watched and every mistake reported . This has made me more anxious to the point Im waking up constantly and cant think about anything else. Im a nervous wreck. Any advice would be very helpful
I was bullied at work I have been off work 7 weeks and have been given another 5 weeks sick leave by my dr. I suffered in silence then the straw that broke the camels back. I could not cope anymore I broke down at work. I work in a customer based place . Customers that had been coming to me for years and months stopped coming I am lead to think someone is saying something spreading malicious gossip. I am now broken trembling crying cant cope think of ending my life. I am not young but bullying can happen at any age its real and debilitating. Now I fear going out I used to be confident I am not anymore I only feel safe at home . Its changed me as a person I have no motivation for anything. I just want to lay down close my eyes and not be in this world.
This resonates with me after being undermined and bullied out of a role where I had the respect of colleagues but was bullied by two line managers and with no where to go to get resolution I ended up with burn out due to workplace stress and had to seek professional help to get my resilience and mental health back
I was on bronchodilators and other inhalers for my Emphysema, it kept getting worse with severe shortness of breath. My primary care provider adviced i try a more natural approach and referred me to HERBAL HEALTHPOINT, i immediately started on their COPD FORMULA. The herbal formula treated and reversed my lungs condition. Go to their web page ww w. herbalhealthpoint. com. The shortness of breath, mucus and others stopped after i completed the treatment.
Elle, I have just read your comments about working in a school and it sounds identical to an experience I had. I went off sick and had to leave. The teacher is still there and did it to so many people but nobody spoke up apart from me and I was made to feel like I had mental health issues. It sounds like the same person. Were her initials mm?
I have been bullied my whole life. I have moved and been the new girl a lot. I usually just ignore it and move on with my life but lately I am afraid. I am a volunteer firefighter and some of the guys are very hateful. I even heard one say today it would be worth it to go to jail for beating me while at work in the bay next to the fire apparatus. I am easy going and not threatening but people seem to really hate me. Well, I hate them too! I wont put up with this anymore. It has been making me physically sick the last 3 years I have been a firefighter. It is tough to be a woman. Even in America it is sometimes overwhelming to be a girl.
I was bullied while working for HMRC. The effects on my physical and mental health were huge. There are people working there who should be criminally prosecuted for their behaviour – it is plainly wrong. Even had an HR member of staff harassing me some 18 months after being forced out. Avoid working there at all costs.
I worked at a school and I was being bullied for a significant amount of time. I was an assistant and the other person was a teacher. Ive gone through life always getting on well with people, had good feedback from managers from previous jobs and ive always made friends easily. However, I knew something significant was happening to me but I couldnt quite put my finger on it at first. I was made to feel worthless, regularly compared to other workers and how other people worked faster and more efficiently, I was laughed at for small mistakes I made and they would be mentioned again months after at random. I was judged by my appearance a lot, passive-aggressive comments made that I was always going to the toilet (when due to stress I was suffering regularly from urinary tract infections) Some days she would be really flattering and kind and other days, I would be scorned and made fun of. I wasnt allowed to stand and chat to colleagues in the morning for 2 minutes, although she would do this all the time. I new I was being controlled and I felt manipulated and frightened of her. Never knowing what mood she was going to be in each day. She even made whipping noises at me a few times, sometimes in front of parents. She would pile lots of work on me and then change the expectations half way through. She was overly nice to me in front of seniors and then ignored or made fun of me when it was just me and her. I just felt this need to please her and do whatever she asked of me, in the hope that she would just be kind. She was so nice to everyone else, made good friends with the headteacher and was the anti-bullying person of the school, how could I ever come forward with my concerns? Who is going to believe me? I was so confused at what was happening to me. Was it me? Was I just being overly sensitive? I found myself crying in the store room regularly, confidence eroding rapidly, sleepless nights, irritability at home and feeling tearful all of the time, bladder infections, I even got rashes on my neck and a strange itchy scab on the back of my head for months (I have never suffered from anything like this before and havent since I left) In the end, I was off sick with depression and anxiety for a few months and it was the darkest time of my life. I lost so much weight. Stopped caring about myself and had panic attacks. I even smelt a perfume that reminded me of her and I felt physically sick and dizzy. The bully was playing the innocent victim to everyone at work and I knew mediation wouldnt solve anything. I just had to get away from her, the school. To me, it was a very toxic place and I had to free myself from it all. I went to one mediation session with her and the headteacher and she twisted and manipulated everything. I looked like a fool. I could tell the headteacher just thought I was weak, pathetic and a trouble maker. The head even said she doesnt believe would behave in such a way and that teachers r under a lot of pr
I worked at a school and I was being bullied for a significant amount of time. I was an assistant and the other person was a teacher. Ive gone through life always getting on well with people, had good feedback from managers from previous jobs and ive always made friends easily. However, I knew something significant was happening to me but I couldnt quite put my finger on it at first. I was made to feel worthless, regularly compared to other workers and how other people worked faster and more efficiently, I was laughed at for small mistakes I made and they would be mentioned again months after at random. I was judged by my appearance a lot, passive-aggressive comments made that I was always going to the toilet (when due to stress I was suffering regularly from urinary tract infections) Some days she would be really flattering and kind and other days, I would be scorned and made fun of. I wasnt allowed to stand and chat to colleagues in the morning for 2 minutes, although she would do this all the time. I new I was being controlled and I felt manipulated and frightened of her. Never knowing what mood she was going to be in each day. She even made whipping noises at me a few times, sometimes in front of parents. She would pile lots of work on me and then change the expectations half way through. She was overly nice to me in front of seniors and then ignored or made fun of me when it was just me and her. I just felt this need to please her and do whatever she asked of me, in the hope that she would just be kind. She was so nice to everyone else, made good friends with the headteacher and was the anti-bullying person of the school, how could I ever come forward with my concerns? Who is going to believe me? I was so confused at what was happening to me. Was it me? Was I just being overly sensitive? I found myself crying in the store room regularly, confidence eroding rapidly, sleepless nights, irritability at home and feeling tearful all of the time, bladder infections, I even got rashes on my neck and a strange itchy scab on the back of my head for months (I have never suffered from anything like this before and havent since I left) In the end, I was off sick with depression and anxiety for a few months and it was the darkest time of my life. I lost so much weight. Stopped caring about myself and had panic attacks. I even smelt a perfume that reminded me of her and I felt physically sick and dizzy. The bully was playing the innocent victim to everyone at work and I knew mediation wouldnt solve anything. I just had to get away from her, the school. To me, it was a very toxic place and I had to free myself from it all. I went to one mediation session with her and the headteacher and she twisted and manipulated everything. I looked like a fool. I could tell the headteacher just thought I was weak, pathetic and a trouble maker. The head even said she doesnt believe would behave in such a way and that teachers r under a lot of pr
I dont think it is true that bullies Victims come from broken homes or families with other issues. Anybody can be a victim of bullying and the effects are profound. Really confident happy people end up confused, full of self-doubt, lose all their confidence, or scared of next meeting with the bully, scared to complain in case they lose their job and often humiliated in front of others by the bully. Most suffer in silence for a very long time until they simply cannot take any more. I would recommend anybody going through this to see the doctor and make sure it is locked as stress and anxiety from workplace bullying. Follow the companies procedures for dealing with bullying and if you get no joy there consult with the local advice centre, your union Repp, or use the legal cover on your household insurance to get legal advice. This is your life, and I know from experience bullying can completely destroy not only your life but you. Dont let it. Get help now.
My partner worked at HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and was subjected to violent bullying over a long period of time. His final manager who forced him out in his prime, leaving him utterly suicidal, bullied him relentlessly – everything from ignoring, failing in her responsibilities, ‘setting up to fail’, manufacturing fake ‘performance issues’ and, after starting to be challenged, criminally breaking data laws and sending her boyfriend round to our home to show ‘who was boss’. HMRC were complicit in covering up their unsavoury actions and failures in an attempt to thwart justice, and went out of their way to make sure the manager did not face any consequences for her misconduct or law-breaking. If a government department cannot follow the employment law what message does that send to other employers?
I’ve always found that my work colleagues or visitors to my volunteer work place always take my bosses side over mine, even though they see how aggressive she is towards me, and I really cannot make this out. I tell myself that they’ll take no notice whatsoever, but they just turn on me instead of backing me up, just makes no sense at all.
In my experiences with my bullying boss or bosses, people always seem to take their side over mine. I always tell myself that others will take no notice. They can see what these bosses are like, and they can see how hard I’ve been working. Rather than wondering how I put up with it all, they seem to turn on me as well, and I just cannot make it out. It’s like putting 2 and 2 together and coming up with 5.
I was definitely bullied at my previous job working at Costco. A coworker slapped me in the face on day because she didn’t like the way I the cashier asked the member in line for their membership card. I think she was just angry that I was cashiering and not her for seniority wise it should have been the other way around except she did something that put her on cashier assistant duty all week. . Anyhow I got over that but now I’m being looked at in my new job (or so it’s feeling this way) as if I’m that bad guy or gal or person who is acting like a bully somehow by a coworker who had initially trained me whom I am actually quite fond of. I respect her , admire her and quite frankly adore her. But then one day she and this group that hangs out in the front outside the building on break all got up after she did as I sat down near her on the curb and walked over to someone’s car. It was intentional to hurt me and make me feel alienated. Why I do not know. Long story short she allegedly got a promotion at work and moved to a different shift , and while I usually have a guilty conscious and usually it’s false guilt I suffer from this time I think this literally did have something to do with me. She moved to get away and when I finally was able to get a response from her after being flat out ignored and even blocked on Facebook She said she isn’t pissed off at me but that she is avoiding me because I scared her. She said I made her anxious to come to work because she wondered when it would go bad. Because it usually does whenever someone she doesn’t know well takes an interest in her. Those are her words Mine is like huh? I’ve been reading up on some things and dealing with some issues external and internal and have come across some good info but it leads me to believe she might think I could possibly be an abusive person I say this because she also mentioned how she has been harasses and assaulted and even worse since coming to work at the company. That made me really sad /makes me sad to hear because I would never do something to harrass or hurt her or assault her. I’m not an abusive person although I have my moments ashamedly where I get into a pretty bad mood and it’s hard to hide people can see it probably a mile away even if I’m not even looking at them or interacting with them. I’ve been working so hard on this problem area and I am improving with some therapy. Anyhow she left the response vague but I think this gist of it was pretty much that there isn’t anything else to say she wishes me well and how she hopes I find some peace, which I deserve because my message I sent from my other account told her how basically I’m already pretty hurt right now and in a lot of pain and I don’t know what I did to piss her off but how she doesn’t have to be mean by ghosting me and not telling me why or what I’ve done wrong to deserve that Sigh
This incident has happened for the second time in less than a week now. Every time I finish my shift and Im driving out of my workplace. Theres this van driver that works with us who always looks at me very badly and swears at me while hes driving by. Its making me uncomfortable and I want to report him
I was assaulted in November last year by two passengers on a station platform whilst doing a security check as part of my normal duties. I have been off sick ever since as I ended up deaf in my left ear because of the assault. My manager has given me no chain of care..as laid out in the company policy procedures… every time i go in my work place be it to hand in sick notes from my gp or to see my friends whom i work with-trying to build confidence to come back to work as the assault has left me feeling very stressed-depressed and without any confidence at all … my manager bullies me by mocking my deafness talking me down when I’m trying to tell him how I feel..he even suggested that what happened to me was my own fault i am currently seeing a therapist and was making good headway…every time I see him it puts me straight back to square one i am already dreading going back to work and he is / has made this even more of a stressful situation for me-i have had nightmares and flashbacks since the assault they was getting better but my managers attitude towards me has set me back i have just literally come from an mri scan on my ear and feel very emotional and knowing his attitude towards me is making me feel worse and worse.
I am off work for stress and anxiety, which has developed into depression, my manager started about 11 months ago, and was on my case straightaway, at first I thought Ok, she had the right to mention y lack of understanding, as no one helped me when I had started work to learn how to do my stressful job as a Support worker, there was no shadowing, I felt stupid when she pointed out all I was supposed to do, I was honest and told her the truth and said I wanted to my job well, it then became apparent that whatever I did was not enough, she would mention the fact I did not know how to do things infront of my co workers. this started to affect me and as I work shifts and have to do sleep ins, I found myself staying up very late to make sure everything was completed, then I could not sleep for worrying what she would say the next day. This started to affect my sleep patterns at home and my homelife as I was always worrying. Sometimes she would be nice, other times she would be chatty with all my co workers and snub me, I started to become anxious when I had to go to work, suffer bad migraines and be on edge all the time. A few weeks ago, I could not take any more and went to see my GP, she has signed me off work, but my manager phoned me, and came across as disbelieving and asked me what it said I was off work for, I had a complete melt down when I got off the phone as she said my performance was not what it should be, I tried to explain how her manner affected me without any success, she has contacted me since and left a voicemail, it was condescending and made me more upset and put me in a depressive state, which is now affecting me and my family. I am frightened I will lose my job but do not feel strong enough to go back as she makes me feel inferior and I get forgetful and confused when she bombards me with questions and tasks. I have never had any one make me feel so worthless and have always had excellent feedback from managers and usually get on well with people, I have no confidence now and feel worthless. I would appreciate any feedback as I am not sure if this is strong management or a form of bullying, I am supposed to phone her superior after I have seen my GP, I am too scared to, as I already know my GP does not think I should go back to work yet.
@Tigerlily – We really feel for you, this is not uncommon, but you have to try and take action to avoid a repetition of this and to preserve your mental health. Our article on Bullying at work gives some action points to follow, which we hope you will find useful.
This is a great website, so congratulations to those who put this together. I understand bullying and its affects very well, because I too was once a victim. My case was so severe, I was unable to return to work afterwards. Health issues followed, lack of support in the home front continued and financially I lost everything to my name. The company did not even admit fault which was another negative for me, because I was left without any form of compensation. I learned something about bully victims, often but not all, they come from broken down families so they are already open to personal injuries. They are afraid for various reasons, yet they are also brilliant workers with fantastic personalities that just draw people in and this is another reason they get bullied. Unfortunately anxiety stopped me from speaking up, from taking the stand and being heard. The internet has changed all that.
What do I do? I just found out at 12am midnight from a senior colleague that I’m being transferred out to another outlet. Earlier during the day my Ariel manager told my other colleague whom I’m close to that she is going to be transferred to another outlet. They did not give us a week in advance notice to acknowledge us. They told us one day before. Then I found I’m getting Transffered also. And recently they just hired two new workers. I asked my store in charge for the reason off the transfer off my colleague and myself but I had no replies even though the whatsapp had early shown “last seen”. My store I’m charge has also been the cause of my other two ex-colleague quitting. Who do I complain all this to? I’m so stress by my store inc bathe sometimes that I cry. I’m workin in retail line.
I would like to know that the job i do as a supervisor, to where myself and other supervisors who has to work a shift pattern. The rota tells us that we work Monday to Friday on the one week with Saturday and Sunday off, can the employer change your days of rest to enable you to work and to have days off in the week at such short notice. Or if the rota states that your days off are on that day, then you must take them. I just want to know if this is against the law for any employer to move your days off round to cover other shifts within the department. We always seem to lose our weekend off when we come to that rota line.
Bullying and harrassment is a serious issue for workers. Bullying is the name I give to despicable actions that one person inflicts on another. Unfortunately, bullying and harrassment is not against the law in most places, hidden away under obligations to occupational, health and safety, (in Australia maybe incorporated into the Fair Work Act, 1999 so keep a look out for developments). Though policies cannot always prevent it, they serve an important purpose when they provide targets with avenues for *reporting incidents*obtaining counselling*receiving advice about options. The workplace should be aware of the latin term “respondeat superior”, making the employer responsible for the behaviour of the offender and therefore subject to claims for psychological injury.