Q.

) If you were a victim of workplace bullying, what steps would you take to try
to reduce its occurrence? What strategies would be most effective? What
strategies might be ineffective? What would you do if one of your colleagues
was a victim of an abusive supervisor?
Steps to reduce bullies occurrence
1. Recognize Bullying.
Leaders need to be informed about bullying, about the huge costs, including both the physical
and psychological effects on targets of bullying, and the negative impact on workplace climate
and productivity. While some bullying occurs in the open (although people are subject to the
"bystander effect" and typically tolerate it), much bullying happens behind closed doors, so
leaders need to assess the incidence of bullying in their workplaces.
2. Intervene.
This is difficult and takes courage on the part of the leader, but strategies such as telling the
parties to "work it out" or telling the victim to "tough it out," don't work. Successful
intervention in the case of bullying is but it is an instance that really tests the mettle of the
leader.
3. Stop Rumors.
Starting and sustaining negative rumors about targets is a big part of the bullying process, and
is one of the reasons that bystanders don't intervene. Leaders need to be tapped into the
workplace gossip to be aware of these negative and unfair rumors, and put a stop to them.
4. Hold Leaders and Organizations Accountable.
In order to make a true commitment to stopping workplace bullying and protecting targets,
organizations need to create anti-bullying policies and leaders need to enforce them. Ideally, it
can be part of a larger safe workplace initiative - one that protects the rights and dignity of all
workers. It is a policy that will pay off for the organization as it becomes more productive and a
healthy and happy place to work.

Effective strategies to prevent bullying

1. Look the bully in the eye and tell him or her to stop.
If a bully is teasing you in a way you don't like, insulting you, or physically threatening you, sometimes
eye contact and calm, clear "no" is the right way to defuse the situation. Tell the bully that you are not
OK with the treatment you're receiving, and make it clear that it has to end immediately.
If it's appropriate, try to use laughter to lighten the tension. Bullies usually try to get a rise out of the
person they're bullying, so if you show the person your skin is too thick for that, he or she may give up
and leave you alone.
Don't raise your voice when you're telling the bully to stop. This could provoke the bully to keep teasing
you to get an even stronger reaction.
2. Avoid escalating the situation.
Teasing the bully by calling him or her names or threatening to fight is only going to make things worse.
Don't yell or take steps toward physical violence. The bully will likely respond with increased bullying,
and you risk getting in as much trouble or he or she does if you're caught participating in the situation.
3. Know when to walk away.
If the situation seems threatening or dangerous, it's best to disengage. Turn around and walk away from
the bully. At a certain point, reasoning with him or her isn't going to make a difference.
If you're worried for your safety, walk to a teacher or counselor you trust to help you handle the
situation.
Avoid further contact with the bully until you've taken other steps to end the bullying.
4. Don't respond to cyber bullying attacks.
If you're being bullied by someone via text, social networks, your website, emails, or another online
space, do not respond to the bully. Provocation is especially counterproductive in a situation where the
bully is anonymous. Instead of responding to the bully, take these measures:
Save the evidence. Don't delete threatening emails, messages or texts. You may need to have them if
things get worse.
Block the bully. If the person is known to you, block him or her from your social media pages, erase him
or her from your phone contacts, and block correspondence in any way possible. This is often enough to
deter the bully from further action. If the person is anonymous, mark the email address as spam.
Change your account settings to make it more difficult to find you online. Start using a new screen name
or tighten the privacy settings on your social media accounts.

Ineffective strategies to resist bullying

1.) Not paying the attention.
There are many warning signs that may point to a bullying problem, such as unexplained
injuries, lost or destroyed personal items, changes in eating habits, and avoidance of official or
other social situations.
2.) Ignorance.
Never assume that a situation is harmless teasing. Different people have different levels of
coping; what may be considered teasing to one may be humiliating and devastating to another.
Whenever you or your colleagues feels threatened in any way, take it seriously, and assure that
you are there for them and will help.
3.) Being silent or passive - when you see something.
Intervene as soon as you even think there may be a problem.
4.) Remain calm.
When you intervene, argue with your boss in a constructive way. Show the respectful behavior
you expect from them.
6.) Not holding bystanders accountable.
Bystanders provide bullies an audience, and often actually encourage bullying. Explain that this
type of behavior is wrong, will not be tolerated, and that they also have a right and a
responsibility to stop bullying
7.) Not taking appropriate professional help & learning to handle bullying situations.
Be careful not to give any advice beyond your level of expertise. Rather than making any
assumptions take appropriate professional help. It is important to learn the proper ways to
address bullying.

If my colleague is victim of bullying

1. Stand by a bullied co-worker immediately after an attack. Go up to her or him immediately
after a closed-door session that leaves your co-worker obviously beaten.
2. Refuse to betray your co-worker when the bully boss tells you to. This is the divide and
conquer game. Siding with the bully brings short-term immunity but at what ethical cost? How
can you have integrity if you stand by and watch a co-worker being mistreated?
3. Sit in on meetings with the bullying manager as a witness, a representative. Witnesses can
temper the most outrageous bullies because they are careful to not show their tactics in public
for fear of exposure.
4. Provide testimony at hearings, arbitrations and mediation sessions. This can be as simple as a
written statement or in-person testimony. (Of course, this carries the risk of retaliation by the
bully. But if the workplace is that fear-laden, the outcome you fear most is no worse
than your current reality.
5. Gather the group when a co-worker is being bullied and circle the bully as a unified group.
Tell him or her to stop it; make it clear that the outrageous tactics are unacceptable and
unprofessional. Threaten to stop all productive work if the bully does not stop attacking that
targeted person or attempts to attack anyone else in the group.