Yes, bullies still exist in the work place and they can be a real headache. A bully always feels the need to control and undermine someone else, especially a subordinate. Some co-workers can also be bullies, especially if you seem to perform better than them.

A bully acts to humiliate you in front of your colleagues, shout in an aggressive manner, pile loads of work on your desk, verbally abuse and threaten your job, set unrealistic deadlines, criticize you even where you don't deserve so, etc.
Bullies always endeavor to find a fault in the work or behavior of the victim, and are always on the look out for other opportunities to push you down. For instance, if you get late or take a few extra minutes on your lunch break, then you are more than likely to face the negative remarks of a bully.

Enough on that. My concern here is WHY BULLIES EXIST.
While some bullies do it on purpose, others don't even know they are acting in ways that are considered threatening to their victims. Some bosses just think it is the proper way to manage their employees and don't see anything wrong in whatever they do, as long as the work is being done and no one has brought it to their attention.

Those who bully on purpose act out of their INSECURITY and LACK OF CONFIDENCE.
Some managers just want everyone to feel their presence in the work place, so they will be whatever it takes to show you they are the bosses.

Others act out of pressure, especially if they feel threatened by their juniors. For instance, if your boss knows your credentials are strong than his and he knows you might one day take over his position, he will do whatever it takes to reduce you to almost nothing. Everything you do will be undermined and you cannot get anywhere.

Or if a fellow employee is eying promotion for a position in which you are better suited, he/she will most likely work hard to humiliate you and make you lose your confidence. This kind of bullying usually takes the form of gossiping and back-stabbing. You hear stuff about you from fellow employees.

POWER ABUSE. Some bullies just want to abuse power. There are people who enjoy just harassing everyone around them. It is their personality, so they don't do it for any apparent reason. And if they happen to be in the top tier of the management grid, they know the human resource department is below them and thus no one will confront them, even if the affected employees air our their dissatisfaction. This is mostly practical in racial and sexual harassment cases.

Bullying in the work place is a dangerous act and can cause stress. It can lead to a loss in confidence, poor concentration on work and in some cases, job loss. Those being bullied can get to a point where they cannot take it anymore and they quit. Violence is also possible when a victim decides to hurt the bully.

Even though it is not an acceptable act, bullying still exists and the employers should put in place strict policies to completely eliminate this behavior. Bullies should not be tolerated at work, for whatever reason. A good company should focus on a better working environment for the employees in order to improve the performance and retain the good workers.

If you work with a bully and there is nothing you can do, just focus on your job and don't mind the threats. If your rights are being undermined in the process,follow the company's procedures on reporting unfair treatment. If nothing is done and it gets worse, start looking for another job. You don't need to work where you are not treated like a human being.

Learn more about this author, Amon K.
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