Workplace Bullying: Signs, Causes & How to Fight Back

You treat everyone politely and respectfully. You try to keep everyone happy with you, but people target you and bully you. You never judge people based on how they look, but people bully you very easily. In my school time, I saw many very sensitive students, and people used their weaknesses to bully them. They were easily bullied and also were easily scared. And they found it very difficult to take a stand.

You too are not able to understand that, after all, people target you only; they bully you anywhere and very easily. Through this article, Savvy Psyche will tell you why people bully you, what psyche is behind it, and how you can protect yourself from being bullied.

Table of Contents

What is workplace bullying?

Workplace bullying means you are repeatedly mistreated and targeted. You are repeatedly insulted in public and burdened with an unnecessary workload.

Why are you always bullied in the workplace? 10 Real Reason.

There are many reasons why workplace bullying happens, and why you are being bullied.

When you are quiet and keep to yourself. People might think you are weak and easy to take advantage of.
If you are a sensitive devotee and trust people fast, then people target you and bully you whenever they get a chance.
When you are new or get a role in a junior post, your colleagues may give you extra work or bully you.
People might target you at the workplace if you are different from others.
People with different caste/culture, background, often lead to bullying in the workplace.
When you are not confident about yourself and feel insecure, people bully you for this weakness.
If you have any personal issues with a specific person, that person will bully you in the workplace to humiliate you.
If you don’t take a stand when someone bullies you, people will doing again and again.
When you don’t keep your boundaries within limits and are always available to others, people think you’re stupid and bully you.
People who have low self-esteem and don’t take a stand, people take advantage of this and bully you.

Eyewitness: “A workplace bullying story.”

I still recall those days when I worked in a private company. A new girl joined our team. She was very hardworking and smart. We did chat in the cafeteria during breaks. She seemed very shy and quiet to me; she would not talk much and would mind her own business.

She had just moved to the city for this job, and was struggling to understand the culture and the behavior of the people here. Some people from my company taunted her a lot. The theory is that she had given her share of work, but she could not say no to anyone.

One day, I explained to her that she comes here to earn her own money. Why does she need to do someone’s work? That day, she said no to her colleagues, and then after that, they started mistreating her in groups. They made fun of her appearance and the difference in language barrier, and bullied her.

This led to her mental health being badly disturbed, and she was not able to concentrate properly on her work. Then I explained to her that keeping quiet and tolerating would not help; take your own stand. Set boundaries for yourself. If someone bullies you, you should complain about them to HR. After that, she got courage and started taking her own stand.

You have to defend yourself if you feel someone is taking advantage of you or, bullying you. Stop them right away and say something.

Warning Signs You Are Being Bullied at Work:

Psychological Warning Signs

Constant fear before going to the office
You feel anxious before starting any task.
You always seem to be overthinking at the office.
You have difficulty focusing on your work.
You are afraid to speak.
You are depressed most of the time.
You avoid talking to people and keep yourself quiet.

Physical Warning Signs

Headache
Muscle pain
Laziness
Eating problem
Insomnia
Panic attacks

Behavioral Warning Signs

You start spending most of your time alone.
You find excuses to avoid going to the workplace.
You avoid group meetings and giving presentations.

The 4 Types of Workplace Bullying Explained:

Social bullying
Social bullying is when false rumors are spread about you.

Verbal bullying

Verbal bullying is when someone uses harsh words to insult you.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is when someone intimidates you online.

Physical bullying

Physical bullying is when someone harms you.

The dark side of Workplace bullying:

Some people consider bullying as a very normal thing but they do not realize that this act can ruin the person’s life and mental health. Bullying is not just an action or temporary hurt, it is a dangerous tool which can even take someone’s life.

Phoebe Prince case (2010):

Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old Irish American girl, moved to the USA with her family. In 2009, she started dating a popular senior boy from her school. Because of this, the boy’s ex and her friends started bullying Phoebe Prince. Every time, they would come into her classroom, throw stones at her, and push her down the stairs. She would bully her outside the school as well as online, which she could not hide from anywhere. The bullying started worse day by day, and Phoebe Prince started becoming depressed and isolated. On 14 January 2010, Phoebe Prince lost her courage and took her own life after being bullied.

APA 2017:

A study found that people who experience workplace bullying are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and behavior.

According to research, workplace bullying is not a common issue. People suffer from mental health issues like anxiety, depression, or overthinking every day. Studies show that people suffers with mental disorders like PTSD often have past workplace trauma that they are still unable to heal.

The psychology behind workplace bullying. (WHY IT HAPPENS)?

There are some reasons why people bully others, and they show negative behavior.

Unresolved past trauma:

They have had some past trauma that has never overcome, and as a result, they display aggressive behavior or bully others.

Insecurity or control behavior:

Bullies always feel insecure about themselves and try to hide this weakness by controlling others and consider it a power.

Environment:

People who bully others often grow up in a very negative environment where all this is very normalized. Teasing, insulting, and bullying others thinks very normal.

Social pressure:

To fit in, they often bully people weaker than themselves in groups so that everyone accepts them.

Emotional neglect:

People who have been emotionally neglected in their lives, affection and love, care have been absent in their present, hurting someone is not a big deal for them.

Need for power:

Some people consider bullying a form of power.

How does workplace bullying affect your mental health?

When the workplace is toxic, bullying feels normal, and it’s really hard to deal with. If you are also being bullied at work and your workplace management doesn’t control it, it can be very difficult for you to cope. The environment there can have a very negative impact on your mental peace. You face mental health issues like anxiety, depression, sadness, or overthinking. Your career motivation drops to zero, leading to low self-esteem and low confidence.

How to Fight Back Against workplace bullying?

Workplace bullying has many negative effects on both practical and personal life.

But throughout all this, remind yourself that you are very powerful. Your courage can protect you. You can protect yourself from workplace bullying by following these 4 steps.

Step 1: Keep the record

You should remember your workplace location, date, and time well before the incident.
Tell your trusted peer group about your bullying.

Step 2: Seek moral support

When you are being bullied, keep yourself composed and set boundaries between yourself and others.
Seek help from trusted and administrative people in your organization, or file a complaint.

Step 3: Complaint to HR

After the incident, report the bullying group. Write down all the information, like how long you have been bullied. What kind of bullying is it? If the situation doesn’t improve, seek external help and inform your family.
If your management does not have control over it, try to change your workplace or find another job.

Step 4: Take legal action

If following all these steps doesn’t work, you may need to take legal action. To do this, file a report on the bullying case according to the laws in your area, writing down all the general information provided in the file and reporting it.

When to Seek Professional Help:

After all these situations, you will need counseling and therapy for your mental health. Thus, find a good and licensed therapist. During all these matters, you have to take care of yourself.

Conclusion:

Workplace bullying is a wound that is always remembered. But remember that your silence can become your weakness. If you are a victim of such bullying, you should kindly raise your voice and stand up. Unless you act on your own, this bullying will destroy your life. Every person has the right to live freely and without fear. So, let’s come together and protest this bullying. In an organization like a workplace, everyone can work at their own will and peace, without fear or pressure.

Reminder:

If you gain any positive response or change after reading this article, please share it with your social and family circle. It will also help those who are suffering from mental health problems.

Disclaimer:

All the information provided in this article is based on personal experience or research. If you are experiencing any serious mental health issues, seek help from a licensed therapist.