Bullying is often associated with the school playground, but it can also occur in adult working environments. Many employees have either experienced workplace bullying directly or witnessed it happening to someone else.
Work can be stressful even in a supportive organisation. When bullying is added to that pressure, it can create a hostile, unproductive environment that affects confidence, performance and wellbeing. In more serious cases, prolonged bullying may contribute to anxiety, depression, absence from work and other health concerns.
Workplace bullying should therefore be recognised and addressed as early as possible.
Workplace bullying generally involves repeated or serious behaviour that intimidates, humiliates, undermines or isolates another person.
It can be obvious, such as shouting or threatening behaviour, but it may also be more subtle. Examples can include withholding information, excluding someone from important discussions or repeatedly criticising them unfairly.
Bullying may come from:
It can happen face to face, through email, over messaging platforms or during remote meetings.
Not every difficult workplace interaction is bullying.
Managers are entitled to set expectations, review performance, give constructive feedback and address poor conduct. These conversations may feel uncomfortable, but they are not bullying when handled fairly, respectfully and consistently.
The distinction often lies in:
For example, professionally explaining that work has not met the required standard is legitimate performance management. Insulting someone, embarrassing them publicly or setting them up to fail is not.
Bullying can take many forms. Possible examples include:
This is not an exhaustive list. The wider context and pattern of behaviour should always be considered.
Before taking formal action, it can be helpful to examine the situation carefully.
Consider:
This does not mean blaming yourself. It means creating a clear and factual account that can help you decide what to do next.
If the behaviour continues, keep a written record.
Include:
Keep the notes factual and avoid exaggeration.
Instead of writing:
“My manager is always horrible to me.”
Record something specific:
“During the team meeting on 12 March, my manager raised their voice, called my work ‘useless’ in front of six colleagues and did not explain what needed correcting.”
Detailed records may be important if the matter later needs to be investigated.
Bullying often continues because nobody challenges it.
Where appropriate and safe, speaking directly to the person may help. Some people do not fully understand how their behaviour affects others.
Remain calm and focus on the behaviour rather than attacking their character.
For example:
“When you raise your voice and criticise me in front of the team, I find it undermining and difficult to respond. I would prefer feedback to be given privately and constructively.”
Be specific about:
This should be a professional conversation rather than an argument.
However, direct discussion may not be appropriate where the behaviour is threatening, discriminatory, sexual or connected to a significant power imbalance.
When you do not feel comfortable approaching the person directly, raise the issue with:
Prepare what you want to say in advance.
Explain:
Try to remain clear and factual, even when the situation is emotionally difficult.
Your employer may have policies covering:
Reviewing these policies can help you understand the reporting process and what action the organisation should take.
Where informal action does not resolve the matter, you may decide to raise a formal grievance.
Workplace bullying can be emotionally exhausting.
Seek support from people you trust, which may include:
Taking care of your wellbeing is not an admission of weakness. Bullying can affect anyone, and early support may prevent the situation from becoming more harmful.
This can be difficult, particularly when bullying continues over time.
However, another person’s behaviour often reflects their own insecurity, poor management skills or need for control rather than your value or ability.
Reminding yourself of this may help you respond more calmly and protect your confidence.
It does not excuse the behaviour, but it can help prevent it from defining how you see yourself.
Employers have a responsibility to take reports seriously and create an environment where people can raise concerns safely.
A good response should include:
Ignoring bullying can damage morale, increase absence and staff turnover, and expose the organisation to significant legal and reputational risk.
Prevention requires more than a written policy.
Organisations should also provide:
Managers have a particularly important role. The behaviour tolerated by leaders quickly becomes part of the workplace culture.
Workplace bullying can turn a rewarding role into an extremely distressing experience. It should never be dismissed as personality conflict, banter or simply part of working life.
Recognise the difference between legitimate management and unacceptable behaviour, keep clear records and speak to someone you trust. Where it feels safe, address the behaviour directly. Where it does not, use the appropriate internal reporting process and seek support.
Nobody should have to tolerate intimidation, humiliation or harassment in order to earn a living. Addressing bullying early protects not only the individual affected, but also the wellbeing and performance of the wider workplace.
This final piece of advice is a really important one: always document everything that relates to your interactions with the workplace bully. Again, it is best to be as specific as possible, provide dates and times, the exact words that were said, physical interactions, retain copies of emails etc. This will not only help to provide a timeline of events and help you to recall information, it would also provide valuable evidence should the matter need to be escalated.
Being in the recruitment sector for so long, we at Maxwell Stephens are acutely aware of how widespread and common the issue of workplace bullying is. Remember you are not alone and there is always someone to talk to. The team at Maxwell Stephens are always on hand to help with your career in any way we can, you can contact us via email at info@maxwellstephens.com, or speak to one of our friendly team via 0207 118 4848.
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