The idea of school bullies is something that we are familiar with. We would have come across school bullies in one way or another during our growing up years. Our parents and teachers always remind us to be good and they would come in to diffuse the situation when things were out of hand. Now, have you heard of school bullies at the workplace?

Yes, it is true. Work bullies do exist. They do make their presence known. Just like school bullies, they have a specific guideline or behavior that newbies at work should adapt to do not think of the otherwise. It could cost you your job and possibly career.

Characteristics of work bullies:
- they thrive on each other
- they socialize with one another even after working hours
- they have a political agenda at work and all the members should silently pledge allegiance to it
- they speak special lingo
- they mark other co-workers and label them on the degree of their animosity
- they scamper for the best projects, best budgets
- they may not exactly be the most capable for the job at hand
- they are confident of their peer appraisal
- they are spread through rank and file but work for a common goal
- they are organized, knowing exactly who is their leader

These work bullies usually get the best jobs and budgets while their other "non-believing" co-workers grind themselves at work to get things done. They are also the ones who monopolize common stationeries, and the best birthday parties are organized by them, for them, financed by a common budget.

It is easy to identify common workers because their birthdays if remembered, will be dull and stationeries, even duller. Above these, work bullies also plagiarize work done by their co-corkers. How do you report a work bully when he/she is your boss? Your boss' boss is also on the side of the popular, happening group because he/she needs their support to execute projects.

The result is a highly political workplace whose rank and file is influenced by an underground network of workers. It is no surprise that they are the ones who are the longest-serving in the organization. Oh, is it a coincidence that they are also the ones who get promoted? They have the ability to mobilize people their team mates.

This phenomenon is widespread. We have school bullies, now work bullies. Even the streets have underground world. Thank goodness that teachers and police are around to put things right. Perhaps the workplace could benefit from such surveillance imagine what a stressful place it could be otherwise.

Learn more about this author, Rosny K..
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