Dr Gary Namie, co-founder and president of the Workplace Bullying and Trauma Institute, conducted an online survey of 1,000 people who claimed to have been bullied at work, finding that 37% were eventually fired, and 33% quit their jobs.

In a reversal of the typical childhood bullying scenario, in which unpopular and apparently weak kids are picked on most, adult victims in the workplace tend to be very capable and charismatic people. The bully sees them as a threat, and determines to get them out of the picture. Most workplace bullies are thought to be women - 58% according to those Namie surveyed - and so are their targets - 80% of those surveyed. The estimated figure is that half the adult population will experience severe conflict at work at least once in their working life. This is frightening, because the majority don’t expect conflict and don't know how to deal with it when it intrudes on their lives.

Bullying conjures up images of schools and young children, but it is a growing trend in the workplace, which is rarely tackled openly even if you are lucky enough to have policies to deal with this issue. There are legal options to take should the strategies above not resolve the conflict. Don't ever just put up with bullying, seek help and advice.

 www.bullyonline.org offers much good information and further resources

 

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