Bullied Beyond Belief

Barbara Poole — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 02:09:43 +0000

Imagine being shot down every time you speak. How about being threatened, or stone walled? How about being verbally abused about your appearance? Sound ugly? It is. And it is happening in offices everywhere. Bullying isn’t about what is being said, although that is painful anough. Bullying’s real message is anger. As the economy worsens, bullying is becoming even more insidious. Eveyone has an agenda. And when the agenda turns to job survival, anyone is fair game for an attack. Thanks to Tara Pope of the Wall Street Journal, When the Bully Sits in the Next Cubicle, the shameful secret of office bullying is brought to the forefront. Bullying in the workplace is enough of an issue that laws are being enacted in certain states to counter its destructive behavior. If you can answer “”Yes”" to any of the examples in this list presented in Tara Pope’s article, you may be the unwitting victim of an office bully.

“”In the past six months have you regularly:

Been glared at in a hostile manner?
Been excluded from work-related social gatherings?
Had others storm out of the work area when you entered?
Had others consistently arrive late for meetings that you called?
Been given the “”silent treatment”"?
Not been given the praise for which you felt entitled?
Been treated in a rude or disrespectful manner?
Had others refuse your requests for assistance?
Had others fail to deny false rumors about you?
Been given little or no feedback about your performance?
Had others delay action on matters that were important to you?
Been yelled at or shouted at in a hostile manner?
Been subjected to negative comments about your intelligence or competence?
Had others consistently fail to return your telephone calls or respond to your memos or e-mail?
Had your contributions ignored by others?
Had someone interfere with your work activities?
Been subjected to mean pranks?
Been lied to?
Had others fail to give you information that you really needed?
Been denied a raise or promotion without being given a valid reason?
Been subjected to derogatory name calling?
Been the target of rumors or gossip?
Shown little empathy or sympathy when you were having a tough time?
Had co-workers fail to defend your plans or ideas to others?
Been given unreasonable workloads or deadlines — more than others?
Had others destroy or needlessly take resources that you needed to do your job?
Been accused of deliberately making an error?
Been subjected to temper tantrums when disagreeing with someone?
Been prevented from expressing yourself (for example, interrupted when speaking)?
Had attempts made to turn other employees against you?
Had someone flaunt his or her status or treat you in a condescending manner?
Had someone else take credit for your work or ideas?
Been reprimanded or “”put down”" in front of others?”"

To learn more about how to respond to office bullies, and look out for yourself in the process, check out Get Rid of Office Bullying Once and For All from the Tough Situations section on the Employaid site.

Employaid Blog » Co-Workers, Good and Bad

Bullied Beyond Belief