The same bullying behavior that goes on in school can go on in the workplace. Often it is the people who are working hard at their jobs that become the victims of this behavior. Why? Because they are so busy doing their work, they are not thinking about how discredit others. They are too busy doing their work and expect people to know that about them. Unfortunately, this is not always the way it works. Many times bosses have not been trained on how to handle difficult issues or they do not want to look incompetent themselves so they avoid it and pretend it’s not happening. It takes some difficult conversations to address these issues but ignoring them will only make the problem worse. When you have a boss who looks the other way, it is best to try to handle the situation on your own before asking for outside help.
First, don’t let anyone make you feel like you are ‘less than’ them. You have experiences that are unique to you because of your own hard work and successes. Or maybe you are new to the job and have brought in a fresh perspective that others do not appreciate because they feel it makes them look bad. Either way, because you are competent in your work, it makes you a target. Without realizing it, you are the ‘king or queen’ that needs to be knocked off the throne so they can look good. Your boss trusts you to get the job done right and on time which can be taken as a threat to less secure co-workers.
Second, it is because the bully is insecure about his or her own abilities that they treat others poorly. The only way they feel they can look better is to put someone else down. They lack the confidence in their own ability that they can learn and do the job. It’s sad really because you probably would teach them. But the only way they know how to ‘fight’ is to cheat.
Third, so how you handle the situation? Every time you see this bully, walk up and greet him or her when they try to ignore you. This takes them off guard because they expect you to ‘hide’ and be afraid of them. Don’t let them see your fear or pain. Being bold and walking up and just greeting people with a smile who treat you wrongly builds your confidence as well. Also, it lets him or her know that you are on to them and you are not going to let it slide by.
~Jean Brownlie, Certified Trainer/Consultant for WorkerSmarts LLC.
