Workplace Bullying Victims Need Time to Heal

by Sep 24, 2015

Being a target of a bully is never a fun experience.   It often leaves emotional and mental scars on the victims, and sometimes, also results to physical pain.  Overcoming these feelings of humiliation, and at times depression, can be a very challenging journey.    So how and where do you start?

Michele Rosa, a certified chaplain and a former workplace bullying victim, set out to find a way to heal from the hurtful experience.  In a retreat style event that Rosa organized last year which tackled healing from being bullied at work, she identified some strategies which worked for her and the event participants.

During the retreat, the group opted to focus on healing and forgiveness.  They didn’t dwell too much on going through the painful memories of workplace bullying, or dissecting the situation, or even finding a solution to the problem.  What helped was that they were able to tell their stories and express their feelings to someone that they know would understand.  Rosa said that building that connection is an important aspect for a victim to start healing.

Apart from having someone that workplace bullying victims can talk to, it’s also important to learn how to forgive and to let go.  What’s also critical is that the victims should not blame themselves for being in that negative and abusive situation.

Click here to find out other tips on how heal from workplace bullying.

Do you know how much money chronically bad behavior costs your company? Spoiler alert – it’s a LOT higher than you want it to be. Download our data and worksheet to see how it’s costing your organization and what you can do to fix it.

 

Catherine

About Catherine Mattice

Catherine Mattice, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the founder/CEO of Civility Partners, an organizational development firm focused on helping organizations create respectful workplace cultures and specializing in turning around toxic cultures. Civility Partners’ clients range from Fortune 500’s to small businesses across many industries. Catherine is a TEDx speaker and an HR thought-leader who has appeared in such venues as USA Today, Bloomberg, CNN, NPR, and many other national news outlets as an expert. She’s an award-winning speaker, author and blogger, and has 50+ courses reaching global audiences on LinkedIn Learning. Catherine’s award-winning book, BACK OFF! Your Kick-Ass Guide to Ending Bullying at Work, was hailed by international leadership-guru, Ken Blanchard, as, “the most comprehensive and valuable handbook on the topic.” Her latest book is Navigating Toxic Work Environments For Dummies (Wiley).

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