Have you ever had to deal with bullying tactics
at work? Either from colleagues or your boss?
And how did you deal with it?

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who's had
this experience - especially in these difficult
economic times where leaving the job you have
may not be an option that's open for you.

Hearing how you solved things, may help
others stuck in a similiar situation, or worse.

Let's hear from you...

I had it in the 80s with my first job...

It was in the public service and a dirty old man kept asking me really off sexual questions in front of my peers, he was my boss. (Stuff like could he get sex with me if he payed ).

First I told him not to speak to me but for work, that didn't work, so then i told his boss and that didn't work, so I went one boss higher, to a lady (who I even was friends with outside work)and that too failed. So I quit my job.. It was in a small town, so I got to hear when the old arse died, and I had a really good laugh... Also one day he bough in holiday snaps and I saw a pic of his wife... and I just said "ohh no wonder" and the whole office cracked up... but yeh, I had to quit and my work output used to flux up an down according to when he was around...

Right now 20 odd years later I am dealing with a violent drunk as a neighbor...According to my landlords it's discrimination to not accept drunks, even when they are violent thugs. But to me it is discrimination to expect people to co exist (our flats have NO privacy) with a noxious condition such as a substance abuse and its imposing barrage of problems.

I think bullying sadly works all to well. People can't/won't fight it, as they have been usually been taught by the bully it will only make things worse.
Then people will accept censorship, domestic violence, bigotry and general unfairness around their rights

Dear meredith,

I'm so sorry that your boss turned out to be such a lech,
and that you couldn't find any help from anyone at work.
Being a small town would have made things really difficult.
You had no place else to go - except move out and leave,
which you did. Well done for that.

As far as your current living conditions are concerned,
I'm not sure if your landlord is right.
Have you spoken to any legal advisor about this?
Even the local police,
or the local legal-aid office?

I'd be seeking outside
advice because I don't think your landlord is being honest
with you. He/she is just palming you off.

Go further with it. No one should have to put up with
living conditions such as the ones you describe.

Hi Foxy,

I also wonder what the stats are regarding bullying in the workplace.

I had a job (which I am thankfully not at anymore) where my boss was positively evil. I know evil is a strong word but trust me - it fits. She was manipulative, lacked empathy, self-centered (it was always about her), and did not hesitate to play one person off against another. No, she was not a politician - she is a nurse. I think she thrived on the dysfunctional workplace she created.

I ended up finding a great book on Workplace Psychopaths and discovered that she in fact was one. The unfortunate part is that these psychopaths are everywhere in organizations. Upper management would not accept that this person was not who she made herself out be so in the end I left.

I always thought of myself as someone who would stand their ground and stare someone down who was doing the wrong thing - which I did for quite some time. But in the end - I was no match for this woman and my desire to keep my own sanity prevailed thus my exit. I think that is my biggest regret - that I was not able to expose her for what she really was. But in order to do that I would have to go down to her level and I was not able to become as devious, morally bankrupted and power hungry as her. For that I'm thankful.

I've enclosed this link for further info about workplace psychopaths. This guy is an expert on the topic and its really fascinating reading. http://www.drjohnclarke.com/seminars.html

How to deal with bullies at work? If you are over fifty and you know that it would be very difficult to find an other work, then simple close your mouth and try to live under these bad conditions. It is better bulling and humuliation than unemployeed...
If you are sole parent and your children need the money from your wage then close your mouth and wait to grow up your children.
If you are migrant and you know every where you will have the same buling and humuliation then close your mouth and stay where you are.
If you are very young or over sixty then realy you have no other choice than to accept the bulling and humuliation as part of your work.
I saw many employees,mainly migrants men or women crying of cause the bulling and humuliation, including me. most of them at the end broken mentaly and left their job, few of them may be never returned back to work.
In my workplace I think I am the only one who continues his work after many years of bulling and humuliation. The truth is that the factory where I am working changed owners three times, I am the only one from the first owner, (we was then about 35 employees).
There is no easy solution, usually the bullies are manager's dogs and they are going as group, as hienas, sub-bullies.
The union can not do many things because many union members are top bullies.
The employer can not do many things because the bullies are supported from the managment system, supervisors etc. Some times bullies are enough strong and employers try to avoid confrontation with them for a migrant or a woman.
What to do? may be you lose your job! Think your children, the rent, the bank, think ... try carefuly, slowoly, slowoly to isolate them. After 3-5 years the bullies lost the game and they lose their job or they resign!
They have no chanche to stay for long time in the same place but they make employee's life very hard.
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

Dear Tammy Jo,

I'd be interested in the statistics as well.

Your experience sounds dreadful. But don't regret leaving.
You saved your sanity by doing that.

I too had an awful situation at work a few years back.
I worked in a small Government Department and a fellow
worker made it her job to look and find any mistakes
that I made on a daily basis. I guess if you set your
goal in looking for something, sooner or later you're
going to find it. Then, she used to run to
my Department Head with them.
This went on for a few years. I did everything I could
to get on with this female - to win her over, but she
was immovable.

It ended up making me a mental wreck,
until I finally complained to the organisation's CEO
(I made the mistake of putting it in writing), nothing
was done. I ended up resigning, but could not get a
reference as a result of my complaint - nor could I ever
say that I had worked there - it meant that eight years
of my professional career could not be accounted for.

I learned from that to say nothing in future - simply
leave, if you can't take it. But don't 'burn your bridges,'
as I had done by complaining to someone about it. It only
works against you.

Sad, but true - at least in my case.

Dear Antonios,

Gosh, what a depressing picture you paint.

I know that factories used to have awful reputations
in the past, but I thought that things had changed
for the better. I guess I was wrong.