Good on you for showing so much courage. We hope you’ll find a new job soon, which not only suits your skill-set but also is a healthy environment to grow.

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Pooja

I’ve started a job 10 months ago,I work in an environment of all women except for my manager. I couldn’t understand why it was happening to me and often wondered whether it was something I said/didn’t say, do/ didn’t do. The reality is that I didn’t do anything wrong, I’m a happy, confident person, secure in my marriage with a solid bond of female friends out of work, I have a good work relationship with the manager, am easy going and enjoy making friends at work. I was being bullied because of their insecurities, their competitiveness, their jealousy, their petty need for attention and their desperate hold on their dying youth.

The women isolated me from their morning tea or lunch gatherings, I wasn’t included in their daily chit chat, personal emails. They would talk at me rather than to me demanding attention as though I should stop what I was doing to assist them, if I was lucky they would only humiliate me to me face but there were times when it’s in front of a larger group. I realised that I was the gossip for them when they get silent as soon as I walk into the room and no one talks or comes near me. They walked around me or through me with out saying hello – this was all new to me as I’m a competent, kind mannered person who worked hard and was good at my job.

My self esteem and confidence hit bottom and I started to loose my hair, I couldn’t cope with it once it effected my health so I’ve left me job and am unemployed. For now I am a broken person but have faith that I’ll be a stronger person once I’ve had time to peel away all the toxic emotions over the past 10 months. Thank heavens my husband is an amazing supportive loving man who has been my rock through out this unfortunate time.

A new page has turned which means I can leave the rotten to rot amongst themselves. Karma has it’s ways and I can only wonder which one of them the pack will turn onto next.

I am extremely good at my job and I guess others feel threatened as I have only been in this job approx 1 year and I am showing them ways to improve things how to make the company better etc etc but I now see that people are very jealous and don’t like getting the job done. I wish that I had never had the misfortune to join this company and personally see how they get away with things as this is not the first company that I have been bullied in and now it makes me feel that the UK is full of crap companies with incompetent staff who just like to do nothing and when they get someone in who can do all the work and more they pounch and get rid of them asap by what ever means necessary.

I was singled out, ignored, belittled, had people interfere with my work and do things to stop me getting my job done.

The one thing I do know is that the bullies usually remain where they are as they have tons of people to support and back them up.

I would not wish this experience on anyone and I hope the bullies get what they deserve.

I know this is an exotic danger for corporations but it’s too scary to simply ignore.

It is true what you write, about how staying in the job isn’t an option if the bully is the owner or an executive. I have a friend who resigned after being bullied for 4 years–she thought she could triumph over them. But she couldn’t. She just became ill.

Very good to communicate to people that it is highly that a target will be able to stay in a job without significant harm.

I was bullied for a year once. Worst experience of my life, just the worst. How freaky it is to be punished for being extra competent!

You are completely right. Healthy debate and minor disagreements are key components of the average workplace. This article is referring to over-the-top behavior such as physical threats, deliberate isolation, constant abusive language etc. that are characteristic of bullying behavior. Perceived slights and occasional tiffs could only be construed as bullying behavior by someone who is being paranoid.

While everyone’s feelings are valid, even someone who may be being a bit paranoid, you are correct that we need to make sure that “bullying” doesn’t become a catch-all for any kind of negative social behaviors in the workplace.

A good argument or discussion is always healthy for the workplace but just as long as it’s constructive and not for targeting a person or what not. As with any job, if your workplace is giving you problems and nothing is being done about it, it’s time to move on.

I think reasonable argument results *healthy* competition. But if you find yourself in a truly abusive workplace your best bet is to leave that job. Chances are you will not encounter the same behavior again.