The term 'bullying in the workplace' is a relatively new term, but what does it actually mean?

What form does it take?

I have never experienced it as far as I know but then I have been out of the workplace for 8 years.

I can't imagine anybody bullying me or even trying to but perhaps I'm underestimating the problem.

Have you been a workplace bully or been the victim of one?

See alot of it really.. If you don't give as much as you take you're doomed!

I work with a team of older people, and so get quite a bit of stick.. But they soon shut up when I give it back 10 times worse :D

Mo I left a 16 year career in the NHS due to bullying in the workplace.

It came in the form of constant criticism, back stabbing, nit picking.

If it was a bloke who had been doing i'd have taken him out & twatted him.

It was 1 of 3 nasty bitter twisted crusty middle age women with a position of 'power' :roll: that perpetrated it.

This is my favourite Bullying type website. (http://www.bullyonline.org/workbully/amibeing.htm)

In the long run I now have the best job in the world :clap:
Wish I'd come here years ago :thumbsup:

DK

Until you experience it in the Public Service Sector, you wouldn't believe it exists.

Its lots of things really, from telling someone off in front of their collegues to negative comments in meetings etc.

I daren't go into the corruption/nepatism, it makes Saddam's Baath Party look clean !

Originally posted by Don_Kiddick
Mo I left a 16 year career in the NHS due to bullying in the workplace.

It came in the form of constant criticism, back stabbing, nit picking.

If it was a bloke who had been doing i'd have taken him out & twatted him.

It was 1 of 3 nasty bitter twisted crusty middle age women with a position of 'power' :roll: that perpetrated it.

DK

Well where does the union fit into this or the internal structure for dealing with staff complaints?

I'm not criticising just can't understand how in a large orgainsiation it can go unchallenged.

The union rep was good & very informative, but when union reps are also employees of the Institution they don't always want to kick up too much sh@ incase some lands on them.

Nursing union reps (in my experience) get promoted very quickly.

Now who'd want to cause trouble when a nice little earner in middle management is guaranteed?

My union rep was not in nursing so was good.

And I recommend the GMB to anyone! :thumbsup:

There are plenty of managers who are bullies - I don't know if people who go for middle management jobs are secretly bumped off and replaced by sadistic alien cyborgs with little understanding of humanity, or whether they just pretend to be, but so many seem to crack the whip far harder with their subordinates than they do with themselves.

I've witnessed much more bullying in Public Sector organisations than in the Private Sector.

As a contractor I get to see a lot of organisations at all levels and I have to say that some of the things I've seen in the last twenty years make my hair curl.

Whenever I've been a team leader the only thing I won't put up with is bullying; if people start, then they're out on their ear as soon as I can manage it.

Joe

Originally posted by wolfman
Until you experience it in the Public Service Sector, you wouldn't believe it exists.

Its lots of things really, from telling someone off in front of their collegues to negative comments in meetings etc.

I daren't go into the corruption/nepatism, it makes Saddam's Baath Party look clean !

Spot on. It's not being bullied in the sense that you see kids at school getting bullied - it's a lot more sinister. :( That's the classic, being in a meeting and whenever someone says anything, pulling it apart in front of everyone else. The bully is usually snidey too, really matey and nice with everyone else ("drinkies?" types) so the 'bull-ee' looks a fool when they complain.

The public sector bully will always take a note book into any meeting no matter how trivial and write down what they think you have said, which is usually what their sick minds have wanted you to say. This ensures that they will never face discipline for what they do. Top tip - never ever allow your manager to take notes on anything that you say!

I've recently worked up the courage to put in a request to be moved to another department as, IMO, my female boss was bullying me. I felt stupid thinking it, let alone saying it outloud but i'm so glad i decided to do it. The person i complained to informed me this woman has had quite a few girls refuse to work with her for the same reason.

The things she did sound so small and silly but when it's eight hours a day, five days a week since the day you started working there it begins to get you down.

From what i've heard from other people she feels threatened being one of the only female bosses and so purposely undermines and insults the other staff to give herself a power boost.

I am so much happier in a different section, though feel bad when i see the new girl she's found to pick on...

Be it school work you'll always get small or big kids who bully. That is unless a fair and senceible person is placed as somekind of oversee'er.

I've been a victim of bullying at several of the places I've worked.

A woman in a factory in Manchester managed to reduce me to tears on several occasions, by consistently shouting at me. And she wasn't even a manager.

I think I have a habit of attracting bullys though as they see me as an easy target, because I'm not assertive. This aggravates me as I'll do anything to avoid conflict.

I'm now being bullyed at my present work. But rather than confront the guy, I'm going to try and talk to management about it as I'm not the only person who has a problem with this guy.

Any suggestions on how to handle a bully.

i knew/worked with someone who took their own life and a part of the reason was bullying in the workplace.

sometimes the banter isnt fun for everyone.

In a job I had several years ago my manager pulled me aside once and told me that I was being bullied by another member of staff, that she'd noticed it and that I should have reported it!

Can't say I'd actually noticed, I must have a very thick skin.

Not completely related, but I'll add it anyway:

When I worked in Turin recently, the english word "mobbing" was frequently used as a term for workplace bullying. When I first heard it, I asked what it meant in that context. My italian colleagues were all shocked because they assumed that as it was an english term, it would also be used in the UK.

I told them that "mobbing" was used to describe teenage girls surrounding a boy-band pop star and screaming, but that I'd never heard it used to mean workplace bullying. Has anyone else ever heard of it being used this way?

Adult/Workplace bullies are generally just as devious and nasty as school bullies but they have learned to be more subtle in their approach in many cases.

They are generally people who have been promoted to their level of incompetence and are therefore feeling vulnerable and easily threatened. They relieve their feelings of insecurity and lack of ability by making someone look worse than themselves.

This is usually achieved by picking on someone more junior to them, someone who is an 'easy target' - usually a bit quiet or sensitive. They spot a little weakness and focus on that.

They generally begin by slowly reducing an individuals self-confidence and self-esteem. They talk negatively about the individual to others in order to isolate the individual. Then, they have them exactly where they want them. If the individual complains, because of the negative comments already fed to others, the individual is seen as 'moaning' or 'inefficient'. The way others treat the person being bullied has been influenced by the negative comments from the bully so they are automatically programmed to react negatively. This perpetuates the bullying though these people are usually totally unaware that they are collaborating with the bully.

The person being bullied is then left feeling totally isolated, useless and progressively more and more depressed. This in turn makes the bullies job so much easier as the slightest comment or action will trigger an adverse and/or emotional response from the person being bullied.....

The only way out is to leave the situation. If you remain in the same workplace (but say, change departments) the bully will often 'warn' the new line manager about you and how 'difficult' you are - thus perpetuating an on-going atmosphere of negativity even with new colleagues.

Sad, but very true.