Luckily for you, your sting is not one dimensional. You may work hard, achieve your goals, and provide a great deal of value to your organization, but if your colleagues don’t respect you and treat you poorly, all that probably feels pointless. To set yourself up for success at work, and protect yourself from bullies before they even start, you can do something similar: Be a bee.įind your sting - a visible way to defend yourself from bullying behavior. They’re protected by their hive, and of course, if you try to hurt them, you risk getting stung. Why? Because, bees work hard and provide value to our environment. How many times have you smashed a mosquito on the wall? Shooed a fly? How about cockroaches? Spiders? What about honeybees? When a honeybee flies by, you likely show more respect. In analyzing the results, we’ve learned that, across professions and career stages, people who successfully confront intimidation follow three basic principles. To answer that question, and to help the clients I consult with defend themselves in this situation, my team and I used open-ended questions to survey more than 2,000 professionals in various industries about workplace bullying. If you’re a young professional dealing with bullying at work, how can you confront the bully, stand up for yourself, and do your bit in fostering a bully-free workplace? Further, giving in to or tolerating a bully may motivate them to continue practicing toxic behaviors. If not addressed, bullying can destroy a person’s core sense of mental stability, damage their overall well-being, and increase job turnover. For an action to be categorized as bullying, it must take place repeatedly and purposefully (or with ill intent). It can be job-related (extreme monitoring of performance, doling out an unbearable workload, or overly ridiculing) or person-related (gossiping about someone, undermining them, inflicting public humiliation or excessive criticism, and subjecting them to social isolation). Researchers generally classify workplace bullying as harassing, offending, excluding, or maliciously disrupting someone’s tasks. The researchers found that power imbalances between experienced and newer workers can create an authority gap that has the potential to generate abusive and intimidating behaviors from those who have higher status. In a recent study measuring bullying among 4,143 German employees, mental health expert Stefanie Lange, along with her colleagues, observed the prevalence of severe bullying at work, with junior employees being more susceptible to intimidation than their superiors. Professionals in the earliest stages of their careers know this better than anyone. Whether it’s a difficult boss, an antagonistic coworker, or a disrespectful client, bullies exist in every area of the workplace. Ask yourself, “How do I make it easier for the bully to reach the decision that I want them to get to?” This can be an excellent way to inhibit workplace intimidation before following the official path. Build golden bridges: As soon as you realize you are getting in an office battle zone, start gathering evidence to block all exits besides the one you consider fair.If you react instinctively, guided by your negative emotions, you may end up increasing the conflict, reducing mutual gain, and damaging any chances of future collaboration. Don’t let your emotions overpower your reaction: Put aside your anger, frustration, and the urge to snap back.Playing by the book can give you a sense of security, help you stay on track, and give bullies less weaknesses to exploit. For instance, make it known that you are someone who follows rules and procedures. Become a bee: Start by finding your sting - a visible way to defend yourself from bullying behavior.If you’re a young professional dealing with bullying at work, how do you navigate the situation and guard yourself? Research shows that power imbalances between experienced and newer workers can create an authority gap that has the potential to generate abusive and intimidating behaviors from those who have higher status. Early career professionals are more prone to bullying than their senior colleagues.
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