Workplace Bullying

What is workplace bullying?

 Bullying used to be considered an issue mostly impacting children. That's no longer true. More and more adults report experiencing mistreatment and hostility at work.

If you're a target of bullies in the workplace, you probably start each week with a pit of anxiety in your stomach. Then, you count down the days until the weekend or next vacation. Inappropriate behavior by adult bullies may include:

  • Intentionally sabotaging or undermining a coworker’s performance

  • Giving a coworker constant and unwarranted criticism

  • Cursing at, threatening, or humiliating others

  • Spreading gossip or rumors about a person

  • Willfully excluding or ignoring a colleague

  • Suggesting a coworker quit or transfer to a different department in the company

Were You a Target of Bullying at Your Former Job? 

Do You Feel Distressed & Wonder How to Cope or Move on?

The Health Risks 

The effects of workplace bullying don't end when you leave the office. Being a victim of bullying can cause physical and psychological health problems, including:

  • Anxiety

  • Panic attacks

  • Stress

  • Ulcers

  • Insomnia and other sleep problems

·         Gastrointestinal distress

·         High blood pressure

·         Headaches

·         Symptoms of PTSD

·         Depression

·         Physical pain

Affect on Job Performance 

Bullied workers can't perform their jobs to the best of their ability. Performance issues include:

  • An incapacity to work or concentrate

  • A loss of self-esteem

  • Having trouble making decisions

  • Lower productivity

Bullied workers not only lose motivation, but they also lose time because they are preoccupied with:

  • Trying to defend themselves

  • Avoiding the bully

  • Networking for support

  • Ruminating about the situation

  • Planning how to deal with the situation

What’s more, targets of bullying feel a sense of isolation. Workplace bullying can leave the victim so traumatized that they feel powerless, disoriented, confused, and helpless.

How therapy can Help

  • Overcome chronic stress and anxiety and rediscovering peace of mind

  • Heal from the hurt of abuse and trauma, so you feel in control of your life again

  • Retrieve your self-esteem and sense of self-worth

  • Rise above negative beliefs or expectations

  • Put grief and loss behind you so you can live for today and look forward to tomorrow.

  • Rebuild relationships that the bullying experience has strained

  • I look forward to your job search or a new career with confidence and hope