Bullied at Work?

attiel

Hi all,
I just wanted peoples advice on a particular problem I'm having. I'm an intern for a medium sized company, and one of the higher ups has consistently bullied me. She has called me absolutely every obnoxious name in the book (weirdo, sap, stupid, etc.) and constantly belittles me. She is extremely manipulative and deliberately waits till no-one else is in the room to begin this behaviour.
To be honest, whilst I am good at work, I am very insecure and I think she picks up on it. I was just wondering if anyone has any advice on how to deal with this situation, or at the very least appear less 'weak' so that a situation like this doesn't happen in the future?
Thanks a million!

Michael Weston

If you and her are alone return fire

racso1975

Michael Weston wrote: »

If you and her are alone return fire

I personnaly think that is a really bad idea.

Clauric

Michael Weston wrote: »

If you and her are alone return fire

Under no circumstances should you do this. It could lead to your immediate dismissal from the internship.

Your first port of call should be the HR department (I assume that your company has one). If there is no HR department, speak to your direct line manager. Either way, explain your problem, and ask the company what the proceudres are for dealing with this situation.

I would follow the company's policies, and let them take their course. I would also keep a detailed log of any bullying that is taking place (i.e. dates, times, locations, what was said, those present, who came in or left during that time, etc). I would also try and avoid any situation where the two of you are alone together. If it is only the two of you in a room, leave the room, or ask a colleague that is about to leave to stay.

I hope this helps.

tatli_lokma

get a copy of the company policy on bullying and harrassment and leave it strategically placed for her to get an eyeful. That way you are letting her know that you consider what she does bullying and that if it continues you will be prepared to address it formally. that might get her thinking.

In the meantime keeping a diary with specific details is sound advice.

If she is really determined to give you a hard time, it might get worse after this, so you need to be prepared to do as Clauric says and address the matter formally with the help of HR. You might be surprised to find that this is not the first time she has done it.

Only other option I can think of is request a move to a different department if you can? This won't really address the problem though, it just gets you out of it, but leaves her in a position to continue what she is doing on another poor soul.

Wanderer2010

attiel wrote: »

Hi all,
I just wanted peoples advice on a particular problem I'm having. I'm an intern for a medium sized company, and one of the higher ups has consistently bullied me. She has called me absolutely every obnoxious name in the book (weirdo, sap, stupid, etc.) and constantly belittles me. She is extremely manipulative and deliberately waits till no-one else is in the room to begin this behaviour.
To be honest, whilst I am good at work, I am very insecure and I think she picks up on it. I was just wondering if anyone has any advice on how to deal with this situation, or at the very least appear less 'weak' so that a situation like this doesn't happen in the future?
Thanks a million!

Try standing up to her. I know its easier said than done but if you rehearse what you are going to say to her a few times and then, when she passes another belittling remark, turn to her and say "I have had enough of the way you speak to me, you are ignorant and aggrresive and Im not putting up with anymore. If you have no manners then dont speak to me at all or else I will have to take it up formally with HR" and then get back to your work. I know it is hard to say it but if you do find it in you, her bluff will be called and she will either back down or else get so annoyed that she will make a public show of herself with her anger towards you. Either way, keep a log of her rermarks along with dates and times if you need to go down the HR route.

Bullies are cowards who wouldnt dream of picking on someone who they think would stand up to them so they try and chip away at people who they are threatened by. Although they can cause havoc, keep in mind how small and pathetic they are in person.

sashafierce

This post has been deleted.

Bringbackrafa

sashafierce wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Thats exactly what I would suggest. Record her next time and go straight to the boss. catch her out . Going to your boss with no proof may not improve the situation. Some people are just idiots try not to let her get you down, she is obviously deeply unhappy in her own life

guitarzero

Report her. Record her. Do everything you can to get this one is deep ****. If anything, tee up these scenarios where she's bullying and make sure that she can be exposed. If you cant record her, have someone eavesdrop, snare that b*tch.

CSU

Every company is required to follow these guidelines by law.

http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Topics/Bullying_at_Work/

Managers and supervisors have a particular responsibility to promote dignity in the workplace for all. They should be alert to the possibility of bullying behaviour and be familiar with the policies and procedures for dealing with allegations of bullying. Their behaviour may be modelled by others, as it may be considered acceptable. That’s why managers, supervisors and those in authority should be aware of their own behaviour at work and not engage in improper conduct in any form.

Opticom

attiel wrote: »

Hi all,
I just wanted peoples advice on a particular problem I'm having. I'm an intern for a medium sized company, and one of the higher ups has consistently bullied me. She has called me absolutely every obnoxious name in the book (weirdo, sap, stupid, etc.) and constantly belittles me. She is extremely manipulative and deliberately waits till no-one else is in the room to begin this behaviour.
To be honest, whilst I am good at work, I am very insecure and I think she picks up on it. I was just wondering if anyone has any advice on how to deal with this situation, or at the very least appear less 'weak' so that a situation like this doesn't happen in the future?
Thanks a million!

Keep a diary of each and every instance. Don't make the mistake of not writing it down. You will need it. It is not any weakness in you, she is jealous of your work ability or jealous of something else, pure and simple.

Follow the advice on this site, it's the best one on the subject : http://www.bullyonline.org/

Opticom

Michael Weston wrote: »

If you and her are alone return fire

This is really bad advice, you're just on the same level as her then.

Follow the advice here : http://www.bullyonline.org/