Bullying in the workplace is toxic behaviour which can damage workplace harmony and productivity. This toxic behaviour can have a profound impact upon victims mental health, and cause legal issues for employers who fail to protect their staff from bullying behaviours.
Its not always clear what bullying in the workplace looks like, it can be subtle and insidious. We’ll look at examples of bullying at work, and help you understand legal protections, and offer advice on how victims should deal with being bullied.
Workplace Bullying Defined
Workplace bullying happens when an employee is made to feel uncomfortable or harassed. It might take the form of verbal insults, inappropriate rumours or physical actions. The severity can vary from subtle bullying to obvious harassment.
The workplace environment thrives on mutual respect and compassion. When this is not cultivated, the environment can become toxic. Toxicity among staff impacts the quality and output of work being produced. It can also lead to mental health struggles and feelings of inadequacy and self loathing.
A segmented workforce will not be conducive to a happy and healthy environment. This in turn will have a detrimental effect on tasks, deadlines, overall attitudes to work and will result in higher staff absence rates due to work related stress.
Bullying at Work Examples
Bullying at work can take many forms. Some employees may not realise their behaviour in the workplace constitutes bullying. This is why awareness is vital so that steps can be taken to stamp out such behaviours.
Here’s some key examples of what bullying in the workplace can look like:-
1. Cyberbullying
Bullying isn’t always face to face and sometimes happens when digital tools are misused. Cyberbullying in the workplace can take place via text messages, social media, emails, and other instant messaging apps.
With the increase in working from home, use of digitial communication platforms has become more prevalent, and employers must be aware of the possibility of cyberbullying via these channels.
Cyberbullying can cause a worker to be upset, scared, humiliated or threatened. Posting photos that embarrass an employee is an example of cyberbullying. This is more so if the photo was used without the person’s permission.
Sending abusive comments or spreading malicious rumours via social media should also be considered bullying behaviour. This type of behaviour is still workplace bullying if it took place outside working hours.
2. Upward Bullying
Upward bullying is also known as reverse bullying. This lesser known type of harassment in the workplace occurs when a member of senior staff is bullied by their employees.
We often assume the boss is the one who will bully or belittle their staff but it is not always the case. Upward bullying is on the rise but is often not spoken about out of fear or affecting reputation.
When staff mistreat their more senior members of staff, this is upward bullying. An upward bully may be disrespectful to their management. They might belittle them or ignore the tasks they have been given to do. Spreading rumours to undermine their authority, or submitting malicious grievances is also common.
Although not as prevalent as other forms of bullying, when it happens the consequences can be severe. Such bullying can change workplace dynamics by failing to respect those more senior members. This can lead to increased absenteeism and a lack of productivity when at work.
3. Spreading Rumours & Gossip
It might not seem to be serious misconduct, but spreading rumours and gossip about an co-worker is a form of bullying. Once rumours begin to circulate in a work environment, things can quickly escalate and create disharmony within the team.
Often, rumours made up or exaggerated for effect. This can be very distressing for the subject of the workplace gossip. It’s usually done to try and undermine someone or to make them feel uncomfortable.
Spreading rumours in the workplace can create a negative atmosphere. It can cause segregation which then impacts production. Such behaviours can lead to a toxic work culture where the victim feels excluded from the team.
4. Excluding or Ignoring Co Workers
A big part of a positive working environment is feeling part of a team. Imagine then the effect being excluded or ignored by co workers would have on an employee’s mental health? When someone is excluded or ignored by their peers, this constitutes workplace bullying.
This exclusion can happen both at the workplace or within the wider community at social events. A staff member who is repeatedly uninvited to social occasions or not spoken to in the office will feel excluded.
No one likes to feel disliked or unvalued and someone who is constantly ignored will feel this way. It can cause a lack of respect between employees which can lead to poor performance and absenteeism.
This type of bullying behaviour can be very challenging to address because of its passive nature.
5. Swearing & Aggressive Language
Any workplace conduct that makes another person feel uncomfortable or intimidated is regarded as bullying behaviour.
That means swearing at work or using aggressive language can constitute bullying. Many employers have strict policies about use of bad or aggressive language at work. This is because swearing and aggressive language can have varying effects on individual staff members.
There are many dynamics to verbal abuse. It can include threatening, gaslighting, insulting, humiliating and degrading someone.
Such behaviours at work can create a hostile environment and a highly stressed team atmosphere. It may also affect communication between staff and can even lead to staff feeling fearful at work.
6. Threats of Physical Violence or Assault
One of the more obvious forms of workplace bullying is when physical violence occurs is threatened or an employee is assaulted at work. This will, in many cases, be escalated beyond management as a crime has been committed.
It can be in the form of implied behaviour such as threatening to hurt someone, or throwing objects around or kicking / hitting things like walls and doors in a fit of rage.
All workers have the right to a safe working environment. Threatening behaviour should never be tolerated in any form.
7. Undermining Co Workers
A more subtle, but serious type of bullying is when workers are undermined. This type of behaviour can quickly manifest into other forms of bullying. It will impact negatively on the person being undermined and lead to them feeling worthless and anxious.
Undermining behaviours manifest in a variety of ways and can be hard to prove. The instigator might withhold information which affects the quality of work being produced. Or they might take their co worker’s idea and claim it as their own. In most cases, it will be a form of manipulation to make a person look bad.
Sometimes the victim may be given ridiculous workloads so they look and feel incapable. This type of behaviour will impact the entire team. It will affect morale and cause a toxic environment which will lead to resentment.
8. Inappropriate or Offensive Jokes
Everyone enjoys a laugh and a giggle at work. It keeps morale high. However, when the jokes become inappropriate or offensive, the opposite can happen. Some jokes may make someone feel harassed or singled out. This, in turn, leads to them feeling discriminated against.
A joke becomes inappropriate when it makes someone feel uncomfortable or discriminated against. Such jokes should be regarded as unprofessional as they can damage reputations.
Such bullying can result in someone being subject to discrimination in the workplace. This might be due to jokes being made about their sexuality, religious beliefs or ethnicity.
Making jokes about protected characteristics such as these may be considered harassment which is prohibited by the Equality Act 2010. Such conduct can result in legal action being taken against the employer if the jokes are allowed to continue.
Anyone found to be telling and encouraging such offensive jokes can find themselves subject to a disciplinary hearing.
9. Invasion of Privacy
When an employee has their privacy invaded, this can be an act of bullying. The intent behind such behaviour will usually be to make someone feel uncomfortable. Someone who has their privacy intruded on may feel hurt, distrust and humiliated.
Anything considered private that is then seen or used by others can be considered an invasion of privacy. This can include screen recordings of personal conversations or audio recordings. It might involve hacking into someone’s email or social media account. A person might have their personal belongings or space invaded too.
This type of behaviour is problematic in the workplace. It will bring up feelings of distrust, embarrassment and possibly reliving past traumatic events. Any type of emotional distress will create barriers in the environment.
10. Unrealistic Workload or Deadlines
Deliberately setting someone up to fail at work is a form of bullying. When someone is given unrealistic workloads and deadlines, they will become stressed. Stress in the workplace is the number one reason for sick leave.
When an employee is deliberately overworked, they will become emotionally distressed. No one likes to feel like a failure in life. It can affect confidence, self belief and future promotions. Someone who deliberately puts this stress onto another is a bully.
When someone is victimised and given such unrealistic goals, they should speak to management. It is a form of manipulation with the hope of causing distress. Stress can have huge implications on our overall well being.
11. Passive Aggressive Behaviour and Comments
Bullying via passive aggression can be very subtle and sometimes only noticeable to the victim. The perpetrator will often use the individual’s insecurities as a way to belittle them.
Someone who chooses to be passive aggressive towards someone will thrive on their misery. It may not be picked up on by anyone else, leading to the victim feeling isolated. It can take the form of backhanded compliments, giving someone the silent treatment or using sarcasm as a form of communication.
Tensions often build when passive aggression is used at work. It can lead to a person feeling undervalued and no longer part of a team.
12. Downward Bullying and Manipulation
When a senior member of staff uses their power to manipulate an employee, this is considered downward bullying. They might withhold information that the person needs to carry out a task properly. Or they might make threats about their position within the company.
Mocking someone’s appearance or performance can be a feature of this type of bullying. They might be portrayed as unable to meet their deadlines which will affect their self esteem. It will also impact the wider workforce who may feel resentment.
Such behaviour should never be tolerated and should be taken to the management team. Any signs of discriminatory behaviour can have serious consequences.
Subtle Signs of Bullying at Work
What if you have been accused of bullying at work and you feel wrongly accused? Firstly, you need to understand that bullying takes many forms demonstrated above. Some forms of bullying are very subtle and can happen unintentionally.
Below are some examples of bullying that are less obvious but are serious nonetheless:-
- Isolating someone in and out of the workplace.
- Spreading gossip about a person.
- Withholding key information required to complete tasks.
- Making snide comments or backhanded compliments.
- Increasing someone’s workload as a means to make them fail.
- Displaying discriminatory behaviour.
- Taking an employee’s responsibilities away for no good reason or explanation.
- Constant criticism which is not constructive.
If you feel you have not been carrying out subtle bullying of any form then you must speak up. However, it is worth remembering that bullying can look different for everyone and no one should feel uncomfortable at work.
Impact of Bullying & Harassment
Bullying in the workplace can have a detrimental effect on the victims personal life as well as their work life and performance.
The distress caused can spill over into their personal life as it can be hard to switch off from the anxiety caused by the situation.
Increased Stress Levels
Workplace bullying increases stress levels. When a job is already stressful, this can become a dangerous problem.
Stress can cause health issues such as high blood pressure, palpitations, panic attacks and insomnia. Work related stress can lead to being signed off work for prolonged periods and is detrimental to productivity.
Low Self Esteem
Being a victim of bullying can lead to feeling like an outsider and a failure. It can make turning up to work daunting and lead to feelings of isolation.
When we are down on ourselves we tend to lack motivation and get stuck in this relentless cycle. Employees may begin to feel they cannot do the job any longer.
Mental Health Disorders
There is no getting away from the fact that being bullied can lead to mental health problems. It can lead to feeling anxious or depressed and, in some cases, even thoughts of self harm.
This is why employers should be striving to provide a zero tolerance bullying culture. Mental health sick leave for work related reasons affects business profitability and efficiency.
It is also a sign an employer is not meeting their duty of care to protect staff from work related stress. This can leave a business open to employment tribunal claims from staff who ended up unable to work due to mental health issues, or felt they had no alternative but to resign.
High Staff Turnover
A toxic workplace will likely mean that staff turnover is high. This will affect ongoing projects and working relationships.
Looking at the bigger picture, it can also have a detrimental effect on the company’s reputation.
High Number of Absences
Staff who are being bullied may feel unable to face work at times. This will lead to sick days being taken which can also put more strain on other employees through increased workload.
In the long term, this can impact productivity as output slows down and deadlines are missed.
Staff Dynamics
It can negatively affect company dynamics when bullying is prevalent. Someone being constantly undermined may be increasingly excluded.
This can lead to resentment between employees and the creation of an unpleasant and toxic working environment. This can impact the entire workforce.
The Law & Workplace Bullying
There are many legal protections in place for employees who are victims of bullying at work. Employers should be aware of their responsibilities when it comes to staff welfare.
Failing to meet legal obligations and protect staff who are being bullied or harassed at work can be costly for a business. It’s vital that employers and employees understand relevant laws relating to bullying at work.
Health & Safety at Work Act 1975
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places a responsibility on employers to make sure their staff are safe in the workplace and that the environment does not pose a risk to their health.
This obligation extends to protecting mental health from the often harmful effects of bullying at work.
The Equality Act 2010
There are several sections of The Equality Act 2010 which relate directly to bullying at work. These sections bring the protected characteristics to our attention and how these should be considered at all times.
- Section 26, harassment: Employees should be free from harassment based on age, disability, gender, marriage, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion, and sexual preferences.
- Section 27, victimisation: This protects employees during any investigation into allegations they have made. This means they cannot be treated unfairly due to raising a grievance or intending to raise a grievance about being bullied at work.
What to Do if You’re Being Bullied in the Workplace
Being bullied in any form can be a distressing and worrying time. It can affect mental health, general health and work relationships. If you are a victim of any behaviour that falls under bullying, you should follow the steps below.
- Read relevant company policies such as advice on raising a grievance and expected behaviours from all staff members. Arming yourself with this information will help you understand how to frame your concerns.
- Try to raise the issue informally, to begin with. This will often have much quicker results. Sometimes a quick chat with managers, or some mediation will be enough to stop unwanted behaviours.
- Raise a formal grievance if an informal approach didn’t change the situation. HR will be able to provide you with the information needed for this.
- The employer must conduct an investigation. They are obligated to do so, and might need to interview both the victim and the perpetrator. If the situation is serious, they may suspend the accused employee pending investigation.
- The employer will then determine if further action is required. They should remember their duty of care responsibilities to all parties involved in the complaint throughout this process.
Legal Recourse if Your Employer Fails to Act
If an investigation fails to stop the bullying or fails to see it as bullying, there is more you can do. Firstly, you can appeal the result and ask your employer to consider the situation again. They have to agree to this.
Failing this, employees can take their employer to a tribunal for which they may get compensation. They may even resign and make a claim of constructive dismissal.
Where to Go for Help
The following organisations have information related to bullying at work and bringing Employment Tribunal claims. Both ACAS and Citizens Advice can offer you free legal advice about your situation.
- UK Government – advice on bullying and harrassment at work
- Acas’ advice on bullying at work and what to do about it.
- Citizens Advice – Bullying and Harassment at Work.
I work as a visiting teacher in a college somewhere in the UK Two colleagues helped me during my divorce as I was in an abusive relationship and I had no other friends. Suddenly they starting holding grunges towards me after I attended meeting with a line manager. They are accusing me for not doing my job property and they have gaming up together.
Hi. My daughter is a care assistant in a nursing home she’s only been working there since Nov 2019. She suffers with depression and anxiety along with other mental health issues. But I am proud she’s trying keeping her head down. However over these couple of months I found out that a guy from her work place is going round spreading rumors making fun of her mental wellbeing ive told her to stand up for herself as it’s the only way to stop him from what I can gather my daughter isn’t the only staff member he tries to be little. Some staff just haven’t gone back to work after filing a complaint about the same person my daughter is very shy and doesn’t want to get into trouble for reporting him. However my concern is her mental health. CAN I BE THE ONE TO REPORT HIM AS SHE ALREADY FEELS THE MANAGEMENT DON’T GIVE TOO HOOTS About staff and appartley that’s what happens in the work Place. Not professional I know. But this guy needs to be put in his place
Hi. My daughter is a care assistant in a nursing home she’s only been working there since Nov 2019. She suffers with depression and anxiety along with othe mental health issues. But I am proud she’s trying keeping her head down. However over these couple of months I found out that a guy from her work place is going round spreading rumors making fun of her mental wellbeing ive told her to stand up for herself as it’s the only way to stop him from what I can gather my daughter isn’t the only staff member he tries to belittle. Some staff just haven’t gone back to work after filing a complaint about the same person my daughter is very shy aqnd doesn’t want to get into trouble for reporting him. However my concern is her mental health. CAN I BE THE ONE TO REPORT HIM AS SHE ALREADY FEELS THE MANAGEMENT DON’T GIVE TOO HOOTS About staff and appartley that’s what happens in the work Place. Not professional I know. But this guy needs to be put in his place
The problem with bullying in HM Revenue & Customs is made worse by the cover ups. Bullying investigations are conducted by their own staff who have a lot to gain by writing a fiction which gets HMRC off the hook i.e completely corrupt. The way round this would be to make it a legal requirement for large employers to have external, impartial bullying investigators get to the truth. That would ensure justice for the victims and punishment for the bullies, and perhaps HMRC’s corrupt culture would be cleaned up once and for all.
Bullying in the workplace is the worst kind of abuse anyone can be subjected to – it’s tantamount to domestic abuse and it perpetrators should face the same similar sanction. The violent bullying culture in HMRC is nasty and ruinous. Victims of HMRC’s bullying are then retraumatised by the indignity of the cover-ups when the issues are formally raised. If the government are serious about tackling workplace bullying, they should set an example by cleaning up this out of control government department which thinks it acceptable to subject some victims to years’ of abuse. HMRC – shame on you!!!
i worked at my company for 5 years , first 3 and a 3 years had no disaplinarys, i made one mistake while working on a fiber glass tank accepted the disaplinary, stayed on my record for 12 months , i was forced out of a department(plumbing) becouse i had a then work mate in a disaplinery for bullying(puting me down , saying i was this and that )he then became a teamleader , i was pushed on to cleaning which i didnt want to do fulltime, then the teamleader on stores said why dont you come on to warehouse. ok i accepted… roll on a year , my new teamleader has started the same thing putting me down in front of workmates , screaming swearing so the whole of the unit can har me , leaving me frustrated and angry and eventualy drinking more to cope , i reported him and he subsiquently got disaplined for it althought i was never told the outcome, again 6 months later i find myself up infront of hr and my manager for not doing a job properly, i said that i felt he was giving me stupid jobs to humiliate me and then critising me when all i wanted to do was improve and be a valualble member of staff, ok so last 2 weeks have been a nigtmare i now find myself jobless, due to a gross misconduct charge x2 one lifting a person on folks , i held my hand up and admitted it was a judgement of error , early that morning i had drove into unit c i normaly beep and just as i was approaching the horn zone , a colleague walked out infront of me , i drive slow and was able to sto while beeping my horn , my teamleader was happaning to be sitting at the outdoor smiking area and shouted you could of hurt him why didnt you beep your horn , now after this incedent i lifted the person on the folks, becouse i was so frustrated and not thinking . in my eyes the teamleader then added the incedent from c to lifting the person knowing that the management would deem this as gross misconduct x 2 thus getting me sacked and having his way .. i will make it clear that i was devastated to lose my job with a company ive spent five years with..i been having suicidel thoughts ever since the 11th of june .. my wife is kinda supportive if you can call . i never thought you would do that supoortive, i do belive that the person doing the disapline didnt like me also althought i cnat prove it ,
i worked at my company for 5 years , first 3 and a 3 years had no disaplinarys, i made one mistake while working on a fiber glass tank accepted the disaplinary, stayed on my record for 12 months , i was forced out of a department(plumbing) becouse i had a then work mate in a disaplinery for bullying(puting me down , saying i was this and that )he then became a teamleader , i was pushed on to cleaning which i didnt want to do fulltime, then the teamleader on stores said why dont you come on to warehouse. ok i accepted… roll on a year , my new teamleader has started the same thing putting me down in front of workmates , screaming swearing so the whole of the unit can har me , leaving me frustrated and angry and eventualy drinking more to cope , i reported him and he subsiquently got disaplined for it althought i was never told the outcome, again 6 months later i find myself up infront of hr and my manager for not doing a job properly, i said that i felt he was giving me stupid jobs to humiliate me and then critising me when all i wanted to do was improve and be a valualble member of staff, ok so last 2 weeks have been a nigtmare i now find myself jobless, due to a gross misconduct charge x2 one lifting a person on folks , i held my hand up and admitted it was a judgement of error , early that morning i had drove into unit c i normaly beep and just as i was approaching the horn zone , a colleague walked out infront of me , i drive slow and was able to sto while beeping my horn , my teamleader was happaning to be sitting at the outdoor smiking area and shouted you could of hurt him why didnt you beep your horn , now after this incedent i lifted the person on the folks, becouse i was so frustrated and not thinking . in my eyes the teamleader then added the incedent from c to lifting the person knowing that the management would deem this as gross misconduct x 2 thus getting me sacked and having his way .. i will make it clear that i was devastated to lose my job with a company ive spent five years with..i been having suicidel thoughts ever since the 11th of june .. my wife is kinda supportive if you can call . i never thought you would do that supoortive, i do belive that the person doing the disapline didnt like me also althought i cnat prove it ,
Hi there. I work at factory, I work on very busy line with all machines breaks down all nite long, I have manager he is not often on my line as he works on other building with his Father, his father is supervisor they are from Portugal his father speaks very poor English people who works there can not really communicate with him , on my line we making subway frozen dough, I work upstairs it is very hard job not for everyone it is complicated as machines are no good there is a lot running jumping picking frozen sticks by hands, Carry boxes they 15 kg let say it is hard very on the line usually are 2 people as thirt person swap other for breaks , so we have all this sticks coming from the blast goes to boxes and go on scale then go to lift and go downstairs to person who closing the boxes And then box goes to tape machine go through metal detector tu pallet guy , there is one person who making empty boxes and putting bags inside and go to the lift go up to me, the person who make those boxes it is my menager mother she doesnt speak English at all part from nasty swearing, when she is not fast enough to make those boxes some one helping her a bit (;) ) from my work floor, basically she doesnt make them as fast she should as she thinks we have nothing better to do just making them for her, I been doing this for 7 months But there was more and more breakdowns and I just could not make to helping her all the times, and well I had usually new person working with me every nite agency people who did know how to machine works and did not how to fix the problems , so I start sometimes asking her nicely can she come upstairs to make them as very often boxes machine is broke downstairs as she breaks it all the time , always I asked her I been told to f ,,, off shut up and many more nasty things and she was shouting in Portuguese to me my manager likes me back then very much as I am very hard working person and he was happy finally he found some fast on this position who was flighting over there I found out how to fix machines very fast , after 7 months running from my position to other agency person and making boxes for my menager mum I said enough, there is no very safe entry to get there I been all in bruises tired and feel bad the women was histeric and nasty as she thought is she is manager mother she dont need to do nothing much , my menager told me he agree with him but this is not going to change he knows her she is same at home , so I told him ok no worries I can make those boxes every nite but tell your mum if she want share her job with me tell her to share wages with me as her job is the easiest there and we upstairs had to do 10 jobs in one go , dont get me wrong I like my job but I did not want helping her no more as she is not nice person without respect to others there after I said that all my problems started, he started to telling me I am not allowed go for breaks when line is down and there never fine even I been on top of machine tri
Seeing HMRC’s CEO Jim Harra on television recently, delighting in the publicity of doling out ‘free’ furlough money, I wonder whether he will be apologise for the HMRC staff bullying culture and instigate an investigation into bullying cover ups? When my partner was violently hounded out of HMRC, his suffering was made worse by a grubby cover up which was seemingly co-ordinated by Neil Barker of HR: this same ‘man’ also made veiled threats in a phone call, not least that stress would be made worse by taking HMRC to Tribunal. The HMRC dishonesty culminated in them making false statements in legal proceedings, contrary to basic principles of common law. In civilised society the only protection a worker has from their employer’s misconduct is the rule of law – if a government department cannot abide by the law, what message does that send to other employers?
I am afraid there is a HUGE problem with HMRC bullying at work. My partner was forced out for daring to challenge the staff bullying culture and for trying to stop a campaign of bullying & harassment from his line manager. His manager even committed criminal acts (such as breaching the data protection act) but HMRC senior management allowed it to happen, despite irrefutable evidence of her gross misconduct. No wonder that HM Revenue & Customs is always in such a mess as an organisation. They hound out talent, try to push them over the edge for standing up for their rights (e.g. Employment Rights Act is widely disregared by HMRC) and attempt to condemn the victims to the scrap heap. Its good that sites like this provide a platform to raise these issues about the HMRC bullying culture and I hope that it provides some comfort to others experiencing bullying – in HMRC or elsewhere – that they are not alone. Meanwhile there are several staff members in HMRC who should be disciplined for their misconduct in allowing such nasty and dangerous bullying to be covered up: shame on them!!!
Interesting that the bullying rate is still so high at HMRC, as per their Staff Survey results. This is a government department for goodness sake, which should be an example to other employers. When I worked at HMRC, the type of bullying I was subjected to was very similar to that in the recent television drama on ITV: ‘Sticks & Stones’. Awful. Cruel. Inhumane. Cowardly. As it happens HMRC had nothing to worry about reputationally, as they had people without personal integrity working at HR CS Casework, Manchester, who went all out to cover it all up – adding another level of deceit to their conduct and a level of stress & despair which is impossible to articulate. HMRC bullying left me completely broken, but the HR people were ‘just doing their jobs’…
I suffered violent bullying and was forced out of long term career at HMRC Revenue & Customs aka HMRC. I learned through that process that they are a totally corrupt organisation. The way they relentlessly hounded me led to suicidal feelings. Good luck to people currently going through this. Always seek help from professionals.
Yes I was to bullied in factory work i used to do. By a group of women much older then me the name calling the teasing finger pointing in my face shouting swearing being belittled by others for just over 18 months. I left the factory after I had a nervous breakdown I’ve not been at work since bullying of this kind stays with you even now 10 years on when I left the factory job I had I still suffer from panic attacks and anxiety
This is all very well but if you are part of an agency, there is little you can do but put up with it. I complained but the people I worked for ( not the agency) did nothing. I was then nearly hit with a fork lift truck (which was deliberate) When I complained, the agency told me there were no work for me and because I was a temp there were nothig I could do.
Hi I’m a self employed carer..who has been falsely accused of bullying.. by the clients daughter.. What it is ..my son applied for a rented house in a local village to me..her nephew applied for the same house. My son got the house as he agreed to pay the agreed rent..since this has happens I’ve been accused of bullying..we had a meeting to discuss the accusation..thus was in a public cafe. What I was shouted at..every time I tried to talk about the accusation the daughter told me to shut up.. (her sister was there too) I feel so depressed.. in worthy ..as I know I’ve done nothing wrong.. it’s a big part if my wages..what can I do? I had no choice but to resign..I was forced into it.. when I did this the daughter practically jumped off her chair and clapped! The client is very upset
I am an agency care worker in a care home . From time to time I am picked on by one particular so called senior and the deputy manager. I have been reported to my management for wearing leggings for one example , it isnt the correct dress code but several permanent staff wear leggings all the time and this is overlooked. Some have acrylic nails , this is also overlooked . I have noticed recently that many other agency staff are wearing leggings , especially the larger ladies , none of these have ever been reported or complained about . I was told off by the deputy for carrying my cling film wrapped baked potato and bowl of cheese to the staff room without a tray . Nobody carries their own lunch on a tray , hut the residents lunches . I saw the deputy manager collect her lunch from the kitchen , carry it unwrapped into the residents dining room , put salt on it from the residents table and walk all the way to her office. I know all the staff and not one of them has been asked to carry their own food on a tray. I have to work it isnt an option and the only other work I could do that I could get to would be supporting learning disabled , but that upsets me . I work extremely hard every week and am good at my job , and the way Im treated is making me nervous . I try and avoid the aforementioned people like the plague , but its nigh impossible . Im not good at standing up for myself .Both the people who pick on me are very close . One tittle tattling to the other . I tried to stand up for myself and fight my corner with the deputy but she told me that if I didnt like it there, I didnt have to come . One senior shouted so loud at me over eating a small price of chocolate from a huge box given as a present by a residents family ., she reduced me to tears. She thought Id opened the box after shed taped it up because her favourite members of staff were on holiday and she was worried they wouldnt get some on their return . It was actually a permanent member of staff who had done this , but I never got an apology I reported this to my manager and his words were. Well , its only chocolate . She was having a bad day and you got in the firing line and you got in the way !!!! No support whatsoever
What happens when you are accused of bullying and you are innocent, Recently accused of it also thrown into the bag harassment,discrimination. I was forced to resign from a job before I was pushed. I 100% agree with accusations been investigated but some times no matter how innocent you are you will never prove yourself. As in my case evidence was not collected from a third party just from people who had spoken to each other and admitted so. This although Im putting on a brave face is ruining my life Im finding it hard to understand. I feel ashamed to have people see me in this way .
I am about to hand my notice in – I’ve had nearly 8 yrs of a sarsatic bullying dentist who thinks its ok to belittle everyone and privately bully all his staff – he is so angry and causes so much stress – He also has taken drugs and that has caused his mood swings – I am actually scared of him – I had time off over the last year due to a major health problem and he kept saying it’s not good enough that the business was suffering – but he’s nice to the patients as he doesn’t want to be sued – I have reached the point that I can’t cope anymore – I’m stressed and depressed and have started self harming – life has to be worth more that this
I was bullied a few years ago..I was working in a clothes retail store and one manager was particularly cruel..she would purposely belittle me in front of others and give me jobs I hadn’t trained for..she knew I wouldn’t know how to do them and when I asked for guidance she would shout at me. I was in my late 30s and she was a lot younger. She made me feel awful. In the end I handed my notice in. I now have a job I love. But I still get upset about that experience. My friend thinks I should tell her how she made me feel ( she’s all nice a polite now I’m a customer when I go into store) my friend thinks I need closure …
I was bullied for ten years by a manager. Ignored and made to feel incapable.for my birthday she surprised me by stealing my car keys and filling my car with cereal and placing dead fish on top of my engine. Leaving a note I dont get nasty I get even..I was treated so different from my colleagues it was embarrassing..I was made on one occasion to sit in the carpark as I’d arrived early to do work for stock check..I didn’t want to be paid and other same level employees were allowed to stay..over 10 years I was abused and reported it but it just got worse..I felt so useless that I didn’t think I was able to get another job..my life was saved with redundancy. I will never understand the reasons but I understand I was abused
Im currently being bullied by my team leader. He is disguising his bullying the supportive line manager umbrella. During my annual appraisal, he didnt want to know about my achievements during the previous year or whether I had met my objectives. Instead he focused on knit picking and accusing me of doing the things he does to cover up his incompetence. Im currently being subjected to daily meetings an hour before the end of my day to talk him through every job undertaken, how I performed it, etc. I have worked for my company for over 10 years with glowing appraisals. He was hired 3 months ago.
I have been getting bullied by a work colleague it has been happening for nearly 2 years. The bully verbally abuses he has been abusing me and if i eat a banana for breakfast he will rant if i eat chocolate he will rant. He keeps trying to push me into having a fight with him getting in my face shouting and going red in the face. I want to keep my head down he rants your in a mood when i am just being quiet and working (I told him i just want to work and i am not in a mood). If i talk he just makes snide comments or keeps sniping at me. They was gossiping about a staff member behind his back. I said i didn’t want to get involved so the guy kept ranting at me all day from 10am until 5pm. I reported it and the bully was called into a meeting then as soon as he came out he ranted at me then i reported again as he ranted and threatened to hit me so he was called in and again he ranted as soon as he got out. Then the following day first thing he started ranting at me again. The guy has pushed the manager and ranted at him and he has pushed HR ranting at him. But the guy never gets in trouble for it. Why should i talk to him if he just rants or verbally abuses me(I am being polite good morning etc and asking about work). He started ranting at me one time i just walked away then he was trying to intimidate me. As i started standing up to him he started intimidating behavior saying he beat up a rugby player last night saying when i am around to try intimidate me. I ended up quitting and getting a new job.
Hi I walked out of work yesterday after being told a number of malicious and false allegations had been put against me. I explained to my employer I would really struggle to continue my shift with the employee who had put forward the allegations and was very distressed I was told I had no choice . I again went to my manager and explained I was struggling with my tasks but no support was offered so I told my manager I was going home I wasn’t asked to stay . I emailed my employer the following day explaining why I left and that I would be returning on my next shift . I got a response today from employer stating that it is a cooling off period and I am not able to come back until Monday . It doesn’t state in email if I would be paid . So I will miss out on three days pay .i didn’t resign but I’m assuming they have taken it that I have ?
I have put my notice in at work after bein with them for 2.5 years but with the same company for 16 years due to bein egnored and bullied at work I couldnt stand any more so I walked away is it too late for me to join a Union I have applied for another job and this last manger gave me a bad reference which is so unfair I feel I have been slandered and my character has been affected can you help
I remember a school bully from my school day’s that enjoyed taunting me and since leaving school i hadn’t seen him around for decades. After working for a company that went bust i then took a local job to subsidise my income, i was told to meet with my line leader and with horror there he was the school Bully that was now my superviser. I reconsigned him immediately and back in school and he always gave me the creeps, he then realised who i was and said that he would be making a special report on me…i looked at him asking what’s a special report he replied for people who refuse to take orders from me, i then jokingly said you haven’t changed much since school which he looked at me and grinned and then walked off. From day one he was being awkward with me making me know that he was watching me, then one day i over heard him talking to another supervisor saying i was the one who was trouble in school, i couldn’t believe he was trying to paint me as being a trouble maker which made me baffled, I was going to confront him but instead left it and over the next few months things started to get much worse. He then tried to stop my work colleagues from talking with me on lunch breaks and sent me out on my own on break times, this was to make make sure that i couldn’t discuss things about what was going on, i felt excluded in most of the office meetings and he would ask each employee how they were getting on in there jobs but he would completely ignore me and he would talk over me. After several months of his bully treatment i decided to make a formal complaint about how he was treating me, i had logged down everything about his special report and how he made me feel excluded from my work colleagues. I then found out that he had been targeting other workers and they had also made complaints then by some stroke of luck he was demoted from his supervisor position that left him angry and humiliated – i remember thinking there was justice after all. Sometimes the best solution is to stand your ground with these awful bullies and take away their authority, i am now self-employed and much more happier working on my own without having any hassles.
I have walked out of my job after just over a year i lost 57 hours of annual leave in March when i brought the issue up i was told it was my own fault and that it would be different this year but when I said that I had already had annual leave declined they wasn’t really that bothered about it the line manager had a week’s holiday i helped out and stayed over till 3.30pm when my shift finishes at 12pm when my line manager came back on the Monday she snatched equipment out of my hand and embarrassed me in front of other staff members belittling me instead of taking me aside and saying that there was a problem with my work so I walked out rather than confronting her and saying or doing something I would regret i haven’t been back since nobody contacted me for weeks and i have now had a letter from the company saying i am classed as AWOL and could be subject to disciplinary procedures i rang the company and nobody has contacted me back when they said they would where do I stand on this issue
Just resigned after having acid poured on my fork truck seat Reported to my line manager and he covered it because it was is son
My husband is being bullied at work at the moment and this has been ongoing for the last 2 years. What started off as being blacked and ignored by members of his department soon escalated into name calling, snide comments, even threats of physical violence towards him. The person who is perpetrating this is 33 years old and 3 times the size of my husband, he is younger, physically stronger and faster – so the managers outlook is that my husband deserves what he is getting because he doesn’t pull his weight like the other lad! This has now escalated into some pretty harmful situations – such as leaving a rag soaked in paint thinner under my husbands desk that he had been inhaling for a couple of hours, unknowingly, until he felt ill and dizzy. This was found after he turned his desk fan off and could still smell the thinner. We shall see what happens now as continued efforts to make management see what is happening in his department are failing miserably and my husband is getting more and more emotionally distressed!
@claire – We hope the tips in the “How to Confront Bullying” section of the above article will help.
my line manager bullies and is sarcastic to most staff members. he particularly likes to be rude and sarcastic to female staff members except the ones he goes out drinking with/to the gym with. if anyone ever tries to do something for themselves because it is busy and it needs doing straight away because we have a queue of customers and he is around he will straight away stop you and make you do without. you are not allowed to think for yourself,and the more you try to explain what you are trying to do,the angrier he gets. one girl has scars on her arms and he told her to cover herself up so as not to upset staff or customers. she is has self harm issues,depression and is only about 18. she started to cry and he sarcastically said’ oooh are going to go home home and do that to yourself again now are you?. he has also grabbed an employee by his shirt with his fists clenched up to this persons neck when the person was explaining to him why he needed something quickly to avoid a queue. he has poked several other staff members including me. he has also sworn at younger female staff members when they did something they needed to do. i was witness to him telling another manager that he told staff members he would make staff members lives difficult if they didn’t do what he asked them to do. he also puts people on jobs they have either never done or haven’t had much training on and won’t let anyone help them. He talks to staff like they are naughty children,especially the females. There are many complaints about him and nothing is ever done. I’m tired of him and now I am desperatley looking for another job. Many other people have left because of him. He is a nasty narccissist!
I walked off a job yesterday over bullying. The problem is that when you complain, you just get the whole “John is just being John”/”He’s like that” justification,