Why You Should Recognize These Five Signs Of Bullying

Bullying is so common that it’s not yet deemed illegal. Because of this status, bullies persist in making life on the job miserable for victims. Studies have shown that millions of workers suffered through bullying behavior. Unless the perpetrator bullies a protected class, such as race, the perp gets away with it. Recognizing signs of bullying is the first step in overcoming it. Here are five signs that you’re being bullied:

1. Do you get physically ill before the start of a workday or workweek? Do your legs buckle as you leave your house? Perhaps you become violently ill with vomiting and trembling. Dread of the workplace may masquerade as a massive headache. Blood pressure may skyrocket. Pains may seize your chest. Don’t ignore these symptoms. These symptoms represent a warning to seek medical attention. Consider whether or not your physical illness relates to whether or not you’re being bullied.
2. Are you messing up at work? Meaning, does your supervisor or coworkers interfere with your job productivity? If you find yourself slacking off at work, take a long look at the reasons. Being disinvited to meetings or gatherings could represent bullying.
3. Do you find yourself flinching or wincing whenever a supervisor or coworker berates you? Accosting you with inflammatory words provides power to the bully. In fact, he or she thrives on making you miserable. Scathing comments may leave you emotionally spent if not seething with rage. The bullying has transformed your work area into a hostile work environment. And it’s very difficult to work in such an environment.
4. Does your supervisor or coworker invade your physical space? Towering over you while you are sitting reeks of intimidation. Perhaps that supervisor or coworker is impeding your work progress by just staring at you. Recognize the discomfort you feel and legitimize it by speaking to the discomfort. Meaning, admit to yourself that you feel uncomfortable in the presence of bullies.
5. Are your coworkers ganging up on you? Your coworkers may gang up on you through subtle signals. For instance, whenever you enter a room, your coworkers scatter. Worse, they barely talk with you. Your coworkers are following the bully’s actions. Isolating you represents just another weapon in a bully’s arsenal.

Studies show that bullying is common in most workplaces. Bullying can start out so subtle that the victim fails to recognize it. By the time the victim realizes he or she is being bullied, it’s too late! The perpetrators operate with impunity. Management seem to protect bullies even though bullies may cost a company thousands of dollars in sick time or turnover. Have you been bullied?

Be Careful Filing Charges Against Your State Employer

Because of a state government’s power, proving sexual harassment and bullying can be difficult and darn near impossible. The state will deploy its entire arsenal of agencies to blow up your life with the hand grenade of retaliation. Damaging your image is the primary goal. Below is just one agency the state of Ohio deployed against me.

For instance, I found myself in heated situations with the Ohio Child Support Enforcement Agency for my interstate case with New York Child Support Enforcement Agency. At first I thought the delays were due to New York’s bureaucracy gone awry. But I quickly learned that all delays were on the part Ohio. For instance, my case worker showed me a blank case file even though I’d turned in all paperwork months earlier.

I wanted to raise hell. But I was on my lunch break from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC). So I completed all the forms anyway and returned to work. When I checked on my case again weeks later, my caseworker admitted that she’d misplaced my paperwork. I found myself fighting an Ohio agency for money that was rightfully my daughter’s.

After appealing to supervisors and directors, the child support finally arrived bi-weekly. The amount of support was considerably lower even though my daughter’s father made quite a bit of money as a firefighter and a part-time educator. Ohio seemed to torpedo my efforts for increases.

Worse, the checks suddenly stopped coming. I contacted the father who assured me he was paying. He even chuckled about me not receiving the child support. Determined to drag him into court, I contacted New York Child Support Enforcement Agency. After a short investigation, the agency assured me that they garnished his checks regularly. He was all paid up. The problem was on the Ohio end of child support.

Confronting Ohio Child Support Enforcement Agency proved stressful. The agency had decided to “hold” my support checks and pay in one lump sum. Eventually they issued me a check for five months of back child support. Later at BWC, in reference to the child support, my supervisor said, “We can all do this the easy way or the hard way. Back off your sexual harassment shit.” These statements chilled me.

For a while I did back off—until the next incident. If you’re a state worker complaining about any kind of discrimination, remember: You can settle things the easy way or the hard way. Just know that there’s no such thing as the easy way.

Your state employer will ensure that they take you down before they cut any checks for pain and suffering. If they bloody you and your family in the process, so what? If they can make you look irrational and crazy, that’s all the better. My berating the child support agency for withholding my checks added fuel to the fire of retaliation.

To this day, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation continuously retaliates against me by interfering with my life. That’s what they do: Interfere with your life. Little things add up. In the meantime, you’re boiling over with fury. Stay tuned for the next installment.

The Bully In Your Cubicle

Has a workplace bully invaded your personal space? Imagine a bully entering your cubicle and threatening to gouge out your eyes and skull fuck you. More than bullying, this threat screams of sexual harassment with undertones of criminality. At least, that’s my opinion.

Notifying a supervisor and upper level management prompted scorn and ridicule of me. After all, this was the same guy who chimed in with other coworkers to call me a prostitute. Horrified, I contacted human resources. They conducted one of many “all hands” meetings. In these meetings, EEO officers cautioned the entire office about sexual harassment instead of punishing the offender.

I felt such shame and embarrassment. Most importantly, I felt helpless because I was not yet schooled on the issues of hostile work environment and sexual harassment. Looking back on that terribly upsetting day, I realize what I should have done.

I should have named it sexual harassment and bullying by calling out the man I refused to sleep with. But I was paralyzed by the thought of the coworker actually harming me. And I was dumbfounded by management’s inaction on the matter. Sure, EEO officers traveled from Columbus, Ohio to Mason, Ohio in order to make a speech. But that speech only turned more coworkers against me.

Right then, I should have taken off work. But I needed all of my vacation and sick days for emergencies. The problem was: I failed to recognize sexual harassment as an emergency. So I remained at the office even though I hated being there.

Looking back, I should have taken my psychologist’s advice: take care of your health by removing yourself from the entire situation. You can always get another job. But you can’t get another you. For years I mourned my life. Eventually I snapped out of it to fight for myself, to stand up for myself.

It took me nearly two decades to learn I’m in the fight of my life. My opponent? Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation–in other words–the state of Ohio, my former employer. 

People wondered why I stayed in such a hostile environment. It’s simple: I knew no better. From the moment I turned down the agency director, BWC targeted me. I complained of sexual harassment. The complaint forced BWC to defend itself by labeling me as a prostitute.

BWC harassed me inside and outside the office. The agency harassed me on my subsequent part-time job at Mercy HealthPlex. When BWC couldn’t brand me as a prostitute because they couldn’t find one person I’d taken money from, BWC labeled me as just crazy.

And they spent years driving me crazy. To this day, I await the termination of the fact-finding investigation at the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and the EEOC. I’m told that the investigation continues until one of us—I or the state of Ohio—wins.

 

Are You Being Bullied At Work? Launch A Counter Attack

When experiencing workplace bullying on the job, please remember that you’re not alone and that you’re not at fault. The fault remains with the bully. Many coworkers and loved ones wonder why you just don’t stand up for yourself. But it’s not that simple. If it was that simple, you would already have confronted the bully. Here are several reasons why most employees remain silent:

1. Economic Reasons. Perhaps you’re the only breadwinner. Or loss of salary would produce devastating results like plunging you into serious debt. How would you pay the rent, put food on the table, or pay for your kid’s tuition?
2. Employee Termination. Perhaps your boss intends to fire you or is looking for an excuse to do so. No one likes to be in this untenable situation because it erodes emotional and mental stability. How can you function on the job when you’re worried about losing it?
3. No Prospects. Perhaps you have yet to complete your college degree, and obtaining different or similar employment is not an option. Many employees begin and complete a college degree while working. The issue comes back to: “Who’s going to put bread on the table?”
4. Victim Blaming. Perhaps others are blaming you for the predicament. If so, you may need to surround yourself with more positive people. Although you cannot choose your family, you can educate them about your plight. At the very least you could ask for suggestions for assistance.
5. Legally Beneficial. For now, bullying is not illegal. But it represents more than the uproarious school yard. It represents power and satisfaction for the bully.

Silence provides power for bullies. Their antics or wrath jeopardizes your job, career, relationships and mental, emotional and physical health. According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, you should combat workplace bullying by doing the following:

1. Recognize there’s a problem. Recognize you’re being harassed either sexually or psychologically.
2. Take some time off work. This may or may not be easy, but you must put some distance between yourself and the bully so that you can mount your own attack.
3. Check your health. Go see your family doctor or mental health provider. There’s no shame in seeking help.
4. Seek legal help from Fair Employment Practices Agencies like the EEOC. This may appear daunting. But it actually helps because you’re acknowledging there’s a problem. And you’re attacking the problem in a legal way.
5. Expose the bully. Because you’ve been targeted, you have nothing to lose by exposing the bully to Human Resources or to the EEOC.[1]

The above represents but a few steps you can take to counter attack the bully. It is noted that Doctors Gary and Ruth Namie represents leading consultants on workplace bullying. Their website provides crucial information for combatting workplace bullying, including sexual harassment.

 

[1] Dr. Gary Namie, “The WBI 3-Step Target Action Plan,” Workplace Bullying Institute,