Work Place Bullying
When you’re young, it’s easy to assume that bullying is only a problem while you’re in school. You might have assumed that by the time you graduated, you wouldn’t have to worry about bullying again.
Unfortunately, this isn’t always true.
Many people do mature and leave these behaviors behind as they move into adulthood, but some people continue using bullying tactics as a way to manipulate and intimidate other people. In adult life, bullying can crop up in the workplace.
Workplace bullying can happen to any employee, regardless of their title or seniority. It can occur within any industry. But what constitutes workplace bullying? Why is it so detrimental? Here are a few red flags for workplace bullying.
Excluding Employees
Employees who are excluded in the workplace might feel lonely and frustrated, especially if this exclusion hinders their potential career advancement. Exclusion can happen in different settings or contexts.
Someone might be left out of invitations to lunches, happy hours, or other events outside of the office that most other coworkers are included in. They might even be overlooked when it comes to sending out meeting invitations or notifications about other important, collaborative tasks that take place on the clock.
This can result in poor performance reviews, a lack of networking opportunities, and other obstacles that harm one’s career prospects.
Berating or Criticizing Employees
Sometimes, managers and supervisors will have to correct their employees or give them direction on a task they weren’t completing properly. However, there is a line between constructive criticism and criticism that turns cruel.
Targeting characteristics about someone that they cannot change, attacking aspects of their personality or appearance, or making prejudiced comments about someone’s culture or background all qualify as workplace bullying.
Constantly Shifting Expectations
When someone starts in a new role, it can take a little time to figure out what’s expected of them. During this time period, their manager might have to adjust their responsibilities or provide extra training. But if an employee is subjected to constantly shifting expectations and berated or punished in some way for failing to live up to expectations that change without warning, it can fall under the umbrella of workplace bullying.
When no one clearly explains what you’re supposed to do and how you’re supposed to do it, you can never prove that you’re capable. Instead, you’re always trying to adapt to unspoken requirements, knowing that you’ll inevitably fail.
Embarrassing Employees
If another employee goes out of their way to embarrass you, it can negatively impact your performance and morale. One employee might frequently make rude comments to another during meetings. A supervisor may say something humiliating to their employees in front of customers.
In some circumstances, the workplace bully might try to play off these comments as “jokes,” but there is no excuse for these kinds of behaviors.
Stolen Credit
Trying to take credit for another employee’s work is another form of workplace bullying. One employee might contribute some interesting ideas to a meeting or group discussion. Then, someone else may later try to pass them off as their own. An employee might complete part of a collaborative project, yet a different person on the team may try to claim that they actually did most of the work.
Junior employees can be particularly susceptible to this kind of workplace bullying, as more senior employees might assume that they simply won’t speak up about misplaced credit.
If you are struggling with bullying at work, talking with a therapist to develop coping and response strategies can help. Therapists at Wellness Matters specialize in working with people on all aspects of this issue. Feel free to contact us today to set up an appointment. You can connect with the Wellness Matters Intake Coordinator by texting or calling (218) 616-1276
At Wellness Matters, the intake process is all on-line and can be done in less than fifteen minutes. On-line appointments make it possible to attend appointments from the comfort from your home or office. In-person services may also be available for people living in northern MN.
