Counselling for Bullying in the Workplace
It is a common misconception made, by adults, that bullying only happens to children, perhaps at school.
Where does Bullying happen?
Although it is the case that bullying can exist in a school environment, it also exists in a myriad of other places:
- Bullying & harassment in the workplace
- Bullying & harassment in your social life
- Bullying or harassment by neighbours
And a growing and much more complicated issue of
- Cyber bullying or online bullying via social media and internet communication
Who is likely to be a Victim of Bullying?
You can be the subject of Bullying at any age or stage of life … Bullies and the desire to bully or harass can exist everywhere, and in the wrong set of circumstances ANYONE can be a victim of bullying or harassment. Counselling and Therapy for Bullying in the Workplace can help.
Why is Bullying such a difficult issue to cope with?
Bullying has powerful negative effects on the victim. Often the individual feels that they cannot talk about it. Perhaps they feel ashamed, embarrassed or frightened, either because the bully has threatened them and / or because they are concerned about what will happen or what people will think. Thus, the bully also has power over those they are bulling. This leaves the victim of bullying emotionally and often physically scared and vulnerable.
Victims of bullying may experience some or all of the following emotions or symptoms:
- Feeling Alone and Isolated
- Suffering from Depression
- Episodes of Anxiety or panic
- High levels of Irritability
- Suicidal thoughts and feelings
- Thoughts of, or actual Self-harm
- Fear of going outside / of socializing – Social Anxiety or Agoraphobia
- Plummeting self-esteem and self confidence
- Physical symptoms such as difficulty sleeping, skin complaints, panic attacks
Counselling for Victims of Workplace Bullying & Harassment
Am I a victim of workplace bullying?
In our adult life, the workplace is a space where bullying and harassment can occur, however ‘What is Bullying or Harassment in the workplace?’
Common things to experience at work are; ‘having a difficult boss’, ‘not liking / getting along with / having different approaches to your workmates’, having a “bad work day”, are things that although difficult, are very different to the experience of being bullied or harassed at work.
Bullying or harassment is not a one off experience, such as a disagreement over a specific issue or subject, but more often a pattern of behaviour that one or more of the workplace team exhibit towards you or your team, and often over a prolonged period.
Consistent, targeted, open or private bullying or harassment, to the victim, can take the form of:
- Repeatedly making threats
- Using violent or offensive language when communicating with you – Shouting / swearing
- Physical abuse such as pushing or other deliberate actions that may be harder to prove e.g. letting doors close on you
- Verbal abuse such as name calling or perhaps using more subtle abuse such as referring to you with low level derogatory terms or names
Workplace Bullying tactics can sometimes be harder to identify and raise as a concern to HR or more senior management. These more subtle bullying tactics can be instigated over time
Some of these more subtle signs of bullying in the workplace take the form of:
- Finding Fault & ‘nitpicking’ work and projects that the subject of the bullying is involved with.
- Denying praise and acknowledgement of achievements.
- Piling on work or causing the subject of the bullying to fail by unreasonably increasing workload or moving deadlines.
- Forcing menial tasks or tasks that are not appropriate to the victims’ role.
- Deliberately withholding information required to do your role properly.
- Denying you rights (such as holidays) that come with your role.
- Being deliberately overlooked or denied opportunities or chances for promotion.
- Being selectively excluded from team discussions or desired work.
- Coercing other team members to behave differently towards you … excluding you from groups or gatherings, encouraging gossip.
Bullying Counselling with Rachel, Taking back control
The first thing that is most important in relation to bullying and harassment, whether in the workplace or elsewhere is to talk about it. Counselling is a safe space, away from the bully / bullies where you can talk to someone confidentially about what is happening. You will not be judged or dismissed as ‘too sensitive’ or ‘paranoid’, which can be a fear of bullying victims.
Bullying can often continue because an individual often struggles to identify, or to trust themselves that it is happening, or to do something about it if they do know that it is happening. Counselling for workplace bullying can help you to understand what is happening and why it is happening. Understanding how you react to the bully and how they control the situation can help you work on practical things such as setting boundaries, increasing your assertiveness skills and developing self-confidence and self-esteem.
Counselling for Victims of Workplace Bullying & Harassment
Take the first step towards removing the bullies power over you and taking back control. Contact Rachel to discuss how Counselling for Workplace Bullying can help.
