Cyberbullying

• In fact, bullying at work affects up to 30% of workers over time.
• Manipulation and provocation also play a role in bullying dynamics, and cyberbullying has emerged as a new form of workplace harassment.
• However, in the workplace, incidents involving bullying, assault, sexual abuse or other forms of violence are typically addressed through internal investigations.

Workplace bullying results in real harms

• Targets of workplace bullying often experience serious repercussions, including stress and burnout, along with other diagnosed mental health issues and, in extreme cases, suicide.
• Bullying can affect physical health, with symptoms including sleep disturbances, cardiovascular diseases, body aches and pain, loss of appetite and headaches.

Personality traits of bullies and their targets

• Researchers find that bullies tend to have 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.
• There’s no hard-and-fast profile, but males tend to exhibit more of the traits associated with bullying.

Are you being bullied?

• Feeling constantly stressed, anxious or demoralized are signs that something isn’t right.
• Defending yourself against workplace bullying takes courage, but there are steps you can take to diffuse, distance and document what is happening to you.
• In the moment when bullying is occurring, focus on trying to keep your emotions in check and avoid being reactive.

If you feel threatened, calmly and politely stop the interaction by removing yourself in a nonthreatening way. As challenging as it can be, the key here is to stay composed and remain respectful.

How to respond to an ongoing situation

• Rehearse a bullying situation and practice how you would respond to help you get comfortable using emotional distancing and de-escalation.
• Be objective: Note the time and date, what happened, who was present, what was said and how it made you feel.
• Your organization should have policies and procedures to support you if you believe you are being bullied at work.
• By establishing policies against bullying and fostering open lines of communication, workplaces can create safer spaces that enhance the well-being and productivity of their employees.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.