We get it, your job is your livelihood and standing up to a bully is much easier said than done, especially if the bully is in a position of power.
Naturally, you are worried about creating tension in the workplace, or what’s worse have the bullying escalate.
Take Alison (not her real name) for instance, she was excited to get a job at a prominent financial institution, but soon after she started, she experienced a level of toxicity that was not apparent from her research of the company’s culture.
“My supervisor decided that she hated my name and gave me a terrible nickname after a cartoon character and made everyone call me that. Three years on, everyone still only calls me by that nickname. Yes, I think it’s absolutely disrespectful, but I’m also worried that my colleagues would think I’m being petty if I call her out on that,” she said.
As harmless as this may sound, Alison is caught in a clear case of bullying as it undermines her dignity.
To use a position of power to humiliate makes Alison’s boss an aggressive bully.
Other aggressive bullies could verbally and physically attack a victim.
Bullying can also take on more discreet and subtle forms, including spreading rumours to damage the victim’s reputation or taking credit for someone else’s work.
A newer and increasingly more common form is cyberbullying where victims are harassed over messages while others have had compromising photos of them shared online without their knowledge.
As daunting as it may seem to confront a bully, leaving it unchecked will only affect the career you’ve worked hard to build.
Here, Ms Linda Teo, Country Manager of ManpowerGroup Singapore, shares her top five tips for dealing with a workplace bully.