I am so sorry to learn you have been bullied, Jules. That had to be miserable. I do think that ignoring trolls here seems to work but ignoring personal bullied in the office won’t work. They must be confronted. Why do they exist, at all?

When I was managing several hundred people in 4 different departments, I found we had 3 bullies. I was so pissed! We had a great team. The bullies were new. I could feel the place change. People were so uncomfortable and scared. I finally got one of my most straightforward employees to tell me the truth after swearing I’d handle it well and without using her name. In fact, your personality reminds me of her very much. I’m forever in her debt for telling myself what was hard to hear. I know it was harder to tell, even harder to endure.

I felt awful that these great people had felt afraid for even a moment. Psychopath’s bully. Sociopaths, too. Scary.

You wouldn’t even believe what we found on their computers. And that wasn’t the worst but that’s how we got them. Our company had the right to look into any computer at anytime, remotely. They’d signed and agreed to that in their employment contract. It was the only time in 30 years that anyone had actually looked into a computer. But it worked. They weren’t very bright. I suspect that’s usually the case.

For months after they were fired I heard worse and worse stories. I felt so sad. One department employed mostly 18 to 24 year old single moms whose jobs were being threatened if they didn’t have sex. That still boils my blood! I’d have called the police had I been told before we fired them. But I winder if any one of those poor kids would have told me, much less a cop. These kids worked so hard and were so loyal. The very idea that they felt threatened and afraid! Their morale, self-esteem, their trust was just gone. It took almost a year for everyone to become a family again. I hated seeing them walk defeated when they’d usually been laughing.

You are so straightforward and open, I’d think people would leave you alone but then I’ve never bullied so how would I knew? It seems that bullies are weak and afraid, manipulative and small: I suspect they were jealous of someone like you. Or just nuts.

But no matter why they did it, they did it. I’ve seen the devastation it causes. It is always wrong. I am so sorry that it happened to you. You didn’t deserve it.