DEALING WITH OFFICE BULLY REDIT HOW TO

It sounds like this quick chat should be a meeting. Let’s schedule a meeting to talk about this when I’m back in the office. Employ boundary-setting statements that are polite and direct: Just as you don’t want a bully ruling your emotions, you also don’t want them blowing up your phone at all hours, popping up at your desk unannounced, or invading your physical space. You want to remove as much emotional power from your boss as possible, which means you need to decide what matters and what doesn’t. Try to ignore the interpersonal ones, aka the shouting match your boss is having with their computer right now. Reread your original job description, and make sure you’re ticking all of those this-is-why-they-pay-me boxes.

Your boss’ mood swings are not, nor are they likely to change. Some things are in your job description, and some aren’t.

During a 1:1 or a coffee break, ask your boss to talk you through their workload: What pressures are you facing that I might not be aware of? Be empathetic and aware while also being realistic about what you should have to deal with. None of these are excuses for workplace bullying or toxic behavior, but they do help you pinpoint the problem and either track it (we’ll get to that) or manage it. Are they shouting about a seemingly inconsequential mistake because they’re dealing with pressures from their higher-ups? Do they correct the grammar in your emails because they feel intimidated that you have more years of experience than they do? Is there something happening outside the office, maybe a divorce or work as a caretaker, that’s influencing their behavior? Understand your bullyĪgain, there’s no need to psychoanalyze, but understanding, on a surface level, why your boss is the way they are can help you navigate the problem.

DEALING WITH OFFICE BULLY REDIT HOW TO

Read more: How to Fight Verbal Abuse at Work How to deal with a bullying boss 1. You have the right to a safe work environment. If all signs point to verbal, emotional, or physical abuse, then trust your gut. While there could be some truth to that, given the stat above, there’s a high probability that it’s not. They could say you’re overreacting or you’re the one with the problem. If you’re being bullied at work, you might also experience gaslighting, especially if the bully is your boss. The Workplace Bullying Institute clearly defines workplace bullying as, “the repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators.” It’s classified as abusive and manifests as threats, humiliation, intimidation, or interference that prevents you from getting work done. What you do need to understand is, first, how to manage a boss who’s bullying you and, second, how to stay sane while you’re doing it. There’s plenty to unpack there-jealousy, perfectionism, poor stress management, insecurity-but we’re not pseudo-psychologists, and honestly, you don’t need to be either. How is it that the person who’s supposed to advocate for you is, actually, the one most likely to be undermining and undervaluing your work? The most common offender? Bosses or managers, responsible for 51 percent of those cases. According to a 2019 poll by Monster, 90 percent of employees say they’ve been bullied at work. Yet bullying, especially in the workplace, is alarmingly common. Bullying is thought to be common among hormonal middle schoolers, not grown adults. When we talk about bullying, we largely focus on kids, how they’re treated on the school bus, in class, and in their after-school programs.

Dealing with office bully redit