{"id":36399,"date":"2024-02-07T02:56:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T02:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=36399"},"modified":"2024-02-14T22:04:48","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T22:04:48","slug":"about-a-third-of-employees-have-faced-bullying-at-work-heres-how-to-recognize-and-deal-with-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/about-a-third-of-employees-have-faced-bullying-at-work-heres-how-to-recognize-and-deal-with-it\/","title":{"rendered":"About a third of employees have faced bullying at work \u2013 here\u2019s how to recognize and deal with\u00a0it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jason Walker<\/a>, Adler University<\/a><\/em> and Deborah Circo<\/a>, University of Nebraska Omaha<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The phenomenon of bullying, harassment and sexual abuse in workplaces throughout North America is widespread and harmful to both individuals and organizations. In fact, bullying at work affects up to 30% of workers<\/a> over time<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As practitioners<\/a> and researchers<\/a> who study workplace violence, including bullying, harassment and sexual abuse, we define workplace bullying as harmful acts of mistreatment between people<\/a> that go beyond incivility and cross the line to intentionally causing harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bullying behaviors range from verbally insulting or socially excluding someone to sabotaging the victim\u2019s work, inflicting psychological terror and engaging in sexual abuse or physical aggression. Manipulation and provocation also play a role in bullying dynamics, and cyberbullying has emerged as a new form of workplace harassment. Research suggests the impacts of workplace bullying affect employee health and safety<\/a> and the workplace overall<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a grocery store line, if someone invades your space, shoves you aside or threatens physical harm, the police may intervene, potentially resulting in an arrest. However, in the workplace, incidents involving bullying, assault, sexual abuse or other forms of violence are typically addressed through internal investigations. Our research suggests that treating workplace bullying as a matter of public health rather than employment law<\/a> is necessary to protect those being targeted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Targeted workers can experience mental and physical health problems. warodom changyencham\/Moment via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Workplace bullying results in real harms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Targets of workplace bullying often experience serious repercussions<\/a>, including stress and burnout, along with other diagnosed mental health issues<\/a> and, in extreme cases, suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bullying can affect physical health<\/a>, with symptoms including sleep disturbances, cardiovascular diseases, body aches and pain, loss of appetite and headaches. Targets often describe an inability to concentrate<\/a>; since they\u2019re spending time worrying about what is going to happen to them next, job performance suffers. The negative impacts can spill over to a target\u2019s personal life<\/a> and affect their relationships with family and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not unusual for targeted workers to feel uncomfortable coming forward and talking about their experiences. But suffering in silence can lead to an even more toxic climate<\/a> at work that can undermine your victims\u2019 sense of security, with long-term consequences for their well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personality traits of bullies and their targets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Workplace bullies often target those who possess qualities highly valued by employers<\/a>: self-sufficiency, cautiousness and innovativeness. Those targeted typically are motivated, have a kind perspective and prefer to avoid getting involved in office politics or engaging in competitive behavior. They take charge of their work and responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bullying often involves an imbalance of power<\/a>, where the perpetrator acts to obtain power and control over the target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers find that bullies tend to have<\/a> low self-esteem, problems with anger management and even personality disorders. Bullies often target people based on their appearance, behavior, race, religion, educational background, LGBTQ+ identity or because of perceived threats to their own career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no hard-and-fast profile, but males tend to exhibit more of the traits associated with bullying. Those who possess tendencies toward what psychologists call dark triad traits<\/a> \u2013 Machiavellianism<\/a>, subclinical psychopathy<\/a> and subclinical narcissism<\/a> \u2013 often gravitate toward jobs<\/a> that offer high levels of freedom and hierarchical structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you being bullied?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Have you noticed a decline in your emotional or physical health<\/a>? Is your job performance being affected? Feeling constantly stressed, anxious or demoralized are signs that something isn\u2019t right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about whether you feel singled out. Do you sense that you\u2019re being isolated because of how others treat you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you do conclude you\u2019re being bullied, your first priority is keeping yourself safe<\/a>. Defending yourself against workplace bullying takes courage, but there are steps you can take to diffuse, distance and document what is happening to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the moment when bullying is occurring, focus on trying to keep your emotions in check and avoid being reactive. For example, try to gain some psychological distance<\/a> in an emotionally charged situation \u2013 politely walk away, don\u2019t engage, give yourself time to settle your emotions. Taking space by stepping away can disrupt the immediate intensity of the situation. It helps you stay in control rather than allowing a bully to force you to respond impulsively in the moment, which can lead you to say or do something you\u2019ll regret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try your best to de-escalate the situation. Some tips for how to stop an interaction from spiraling include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n