An article in The Telegraph titled “I was bullied out of the job I loved” caught my attention the other day. It recounted the experience of an employee who was bullied at work. However, the workplace bullying was subtle and it wasn’t enough to warrant a case be filed against the workplace bully.
In this case, the employee was subjected to the negative behavior of a bully boss. The examples of the bullying that the victim recounted included exclusion and seemingly light-hearted jokes or comments, which actually undermined and questioned the victim’s authority and expertise. Sometimes a few sarcastic comments were thrown out during meetings which affected the victim’s standing and reputation. These examples may not sound like abuse, but still, these instances are the most common occurrences at the workplace. It also is the most damaging.
In this case, the workplace bullying victim decided to leave the organization after noticing that the bully boss’ sly antics affected the victim’s reputation and area of responsibility. The employee who was bullied at work was given less and less assignments, until a new person was sent in to oversee the bully victim’s work. This eventually pushed the workplace bullying victim to quit the job. However, years after the incident happened, the victim admitted that the situation “still stings.”
This is a normal reaction from bully victims. The trauma of being a target of a work place bully remains with the individual for several years, and sometimes forever.
To read more about the bully victim’s story, click here to read the full article.
