You may think that the cases of being bullied as an adult are low, but you would be wrong. Bullying affects every age. You could be bullied in your teens, twenties, right up to your eighties. That’s a difficult pill to swallow but there is worse to come. You could be bullied at work. Every day countless people go to a job where they are treated unfairly and not given the respect they deserve. Some quit while others force themselves to continue and leave the bully to believe they are able to treat them this way.
Bullying has been shown to have long term negative effects on both your physical and mental health. If you have been bullied as a teen, you can develop mental health issues when you are older. You might feel depressed or be unable to socialise. Once you start living in isolation, that depression can become worse. If you’re bullied as an adult, you will suffer from anxiety issues as well as levels of low confidence. For this reason, it’s important to know how to deal with bullying issues. Particularly in a place that you cannot simply walk away from such as the office.
Understand What Bullying Is
The biggest issue you will face is understanding whether you are being bullied. If you’re a woman, you might find that you’re just being treated like one of the guys. You may also be led to believe that jokes about you or the way you look are just in fun. If they’re not bothering you, then it’s fine. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that because they don’t bother other people, it shouldn’t bother you. If the words or actions of another are upsetting you, you do not have to put up with it.
Ask Them To Stop
There is a good chance that the person you feel victimised by does not realize they are upsetting you. In this instance, they are not bullying you. They have simply mistepped the boundaries of social conduct. This is quite common, particularly in a work that doesn’t have a seen structural command. If that’s the case the problem should desist after you make your feelings felt. But if it doesn’t you will need to think about taking other measures.
Tell A Superior
You should then tell a superior about the issue. This may seem childish but this is partly why a chain of command is there. They need to make sure people are following the rules and this includes social conduct. Once you tell the superior, they should be able to solve the problem. But, if they can’t you should take it to the next level of command. Keep going until you get the attention that you need.
Bullied by a Superior
If you’re bullied by a superior you have no option but to quit. Once you quit you have every right to seek legal help and get damages for lost wages. You can sue for emotional distress. These are tricky lawsuits but can be won if there are any medical signs of your distress.
Recover and Move on
After that, you must recover and move on. It’s important that you start fresh in a new job and never look back. You may not have beaten the bully. But you have sent a clear message that this type of conduct will be dealt with.
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