What To Do If You Are Being Bullied At Work

Workplace bullying (and harassment) is any action taken against an employee that makes them feel offended or intimidated. While harassment is illegal, bullying is not. However, employers have a legal obligation to try and protect the well-being of their workers, which means they must try to stop any form of workplace bullying they become aware of. As such, if you are bullied at work and your employer fails to take appropriate action, you could be entitled to claim compensation for your suffering. In this guide, we explain what to do if you are being bullied at work.

As you read on, you will find out about different actions that could be deemed as bullying, the steps you could take if you are being bullied and what options are available if the situation cannot be resolved in-house.

If you have been affected by bullying at work and would like to find out if you could claim compensation, you can:

• Call 0333 241 2519 to speak to a specialist.
• Use our online chat service to get in touch.

Please read on to find out more about how to deal with workplace bullying

Recognising Workplace Bullying

It’s not always clear if you are being bullied at work. According to government information, bullying and harassment at work can happen:

• In person (face-to-face).
• Online and by email.
• Over the phone.
• In writing.

Effectively, any form of malicious or insulting action taken against you could be defined as workplace bullying, as could any type of action that results in you being undermined, humiliated or physically or emotionally injured.

Examples of Bullying at Work

Some examples of bullying at work include:

• A colleague belittling you or spreading rumours about you.
• Colleagues using social media to insult you online.
• Being given more work than your colleagues by your manager.
• If your employer ignores you or doesn’t allow you to use your skills.
• Where your manager does not offer you the same development opportunities as others.
• Any other type of unfair treatment.

Bullying can be a one-off event or happen regularly, and it might not always be spotted or identified by others. Bullying at work could be deemed as harassment (which is illegal) if it is based on any of the protected characteristics listed in the Equality Act 2010, such as:

• Age
• Ethnicity
• Beliefs or religion.
• Sex or gender reassignment.
• Sexual orientation.
• Race.
• Disabilities.

Please read on to find out more about your options if you think you’re being bullied at work.

What Should I Do if I’m Bullied at Work?

Here are some of the actions you could take if you are being picked on, bullied or harassed at work:

• Keep records of what happened: Keep a record of the date and time that the bullying occurred and details of who was involved, what was said or what actions were taken.
• Confront the bully: If you believe that it is safe to do so, you should try to explain to the bully how their actions are affecting you. If you are worried that this could lead to negative consequences, you shouldn’t confront the bully alone.
• Speak to a trusted colleague: If you aren’t sure if you are being bullied, you could discuss what has happened with a colleague to gain their thoughts before taking things any further. Having confirmation from someone else could make you feel much better about taking the matter on.

You should never put yourself at risk of being physically or emotionally injured when trying to deal with workplace bullying. If you’d like to know more about what to do if you are being bullied at work, please continue reading.

Should I Report Workplace Bullying?

Employers have a duty to protect the well-being of their staff at work. However, if they are not aware that bullying is happening, there will be little they can do to prevent it. Therefore, you should always report bullying at work.

In the first instance, you could have an informal conversation with your supervisor or manager about what has happened to see if there is a simple resolution to the situation. If you feel that this hasn’t resolved the issue, you should put your complaint in writing (by letter or email) to let your manager, employer or the HR department know that you are being bullied.

Wherever possible, you should always read the company’s anti-bullying policy before raising a formal complaint to ensure that the correct procedures are followed.

If your employer fails to take action against the bully or they try to dismiss your complaint completely, you could have grounds to sue for the suffering you have endured. Severe bullying linked to a protected characteristic (harassment) could entitle you to claim for constructive dismissal through an employment tribunal.

Can I Claim Compensation for Workplace Bullying?

If your grievance has not been dealt with properly by your employer, you may decide to take legal action against them for failing to protect you at work. As such, we offer a free initial consultation where you can discuss a workplace bullying claim on a no-obligation basis with a specially trained advisor.

While you’re not obliged to take action following the call, you could be partnered with a personal injury solicitor on our panel to represent you on a No Win, No Fee basis. This means there are no upfront payments for their services, and you’ll only have to pay for their work if your claim is won.

To see how we can help if you are being bullied in the workplace and would like to claim compensation, please call now.

Looking After Your Well-being

Being bullied at work can be traumatic and can result in both physical and mental suffering. With regards to mental trauma, bullying can result in stress, anxiety, distress and depression amongst other things.

Therefore, you might decide to seek support from a specialist to help you deal with the symptoms of bullying at work.

In some cases, your employer might provide access to occupational health specialists who offer confidential support. You could also speak to your GP to see if you can be referred to a therapist, psychiatrist or another type of mental health specialist.

Additionally, you might be entitled to take time off work if your mental health is suffering as a result of bullying. You will need to tell your employer that you are unable to work in accordance with their normal processes. They might also ask you to provide a fit note from your GP or a medical professional to prove that you are not able to work.

Resolving Workplace Bullying Internally

There are a few methods that could be used to resolve workplace bullying, including:

• Mediation: A third party could be asked to liaise with the bully, injured party and employer to try and a) understand what has happened and b) suggest changes that all parties could make to help resolve the issue. Of course, mediation might not be appropriate in some cases, such as when the bully is in fact the owner of the business.
• Changing working conditions: In some cases, it might be appropriate to change departments or teams so that you are moved away from the bully. However, this might not always be viable and might not lead to the bully being properly disciplined.
• Working with the HR department: In some cases, where HR departments are open to taking feedback about bullying, changes can be made to make a more positive work environment.
• Training: Training might be a good idea, especially if the bully does not realise that their actions are harming their colleagues.

In all instances, you should never remain silent about workplace bullying. There will always be some way of escalating your concerns, including to external support, as we’ll discuss next.

Escalating the Situation Externally

If you believe that your bullying complaint has not been resolved or investigated fully by your employer, you have other options. For instance, you could seek advice from your union if you are a member of one, or you could speak to an external advisory service such as ACAS.

Realistically, before involving external bodies, you will probably need to have followed the company’s internal formal complaints procedures first, but, in some cases, you could ask for support during these processes as well.

Remember, if your bullying complaint is not resolved and you believe you have suffered because your employer failed to protect you, there may be grounds for you to start a personal injury claim against them. For harassment claims, you might also have grounds to begin a constructive dismissal claim. If you’d like advice on either, please feel free to contact us now.

Contacting Us If You’ve Been Bullied at Work

This guide has shown why it is important to report bullying at work, when to take action and how to do so. We have shown what to do if you are being bullied at work and why you should not stay silent and suffer on your own.

To see if you have grounds to sue your employer because they failed to protect you from bullying at work, you can:

• Call now on 0333 241 2519 to discuss your options.
• Tell us about how you’ve suffered via our free chat service.

We hope that if you are being bullied at work, you now feel confident enough to try and deal with the situation by adopting some of the anti-bullying strategies listed within this guide.