How to Deal with a Bully at Work
And make sure that your company does the right thing
I‘d thought that my experience with bullies ended after I left the ninth grade. It seemed a safe assumption that once people grew up and matured, that immaturity would phase itself out. After all, whose adult life could be so utterly devoid of meaning that they need to make themselves feel better at the expense of others?
It seemed a safe thought. Until, of course, you step into your average workplace. It turns out that while some people become older and more mature, some people just get older.
As unfortunate as it is, workplaces include more than their share of bullies. It’s less obvious than in high school — less people getting stuffed into lockers or losing their lunch money — but the demeaning practices are still there.
To be clear, getting assigned work that you don’t want to do is not bullying. Having a personality clash is not bullying. And being held accountable for a poor performance doesn’t mean that your boss is a bully — just an effective manager. Blurring the line between a coworker you don’t like and someone looking to maliciously bring you down only provides greater cover for actual bullies.
Bullies look to undermine your value. They trivialize your concerns and ideas. They see your…
