I’ve been thinking a lot about how much bullying is going on. Maybe it’s the political climate, or maybe it’s because it’s National Bullying Prevention month. In any event, we see it on the playground, coming through cyberspace, even at our workplace. It deeply hurts both children and adults. Today I’d like to address those of you experiencing it at your work.
Does someone at work love to make people around him miserable? If you feel that way, most likely you aren’t alone. The Workplace Bully never heard of, nor does he care about, the dignity all workers are entitled to. Confront him, not with a solid punch to the jaw but with a calm request for him to be more reasonable. Tell him plainly that he makes you feel uncomfortable or humiliated; explain why specific demands he makes on you are excessive. If you do this in front of others, you minimize the chance of verbal warfare and, at the same time, embolden co-workers who have been suffering silently. Join with them, in a sort of support group, one that doesn’t feed each other’s anger but keeps you from feeling isolated and helps you find ways to counteract the bully’s actions that don’t turn you into a bully. Soon your lagging self-respect will return. Together you’ll make your job site the fulfilling, safe environment you deserve to work in.