Defining Workplace Bullying
All employees deserve an environment of respect, cooperation, and trust. For some employees, work is a source of pain and anxiety due to bullying. In these cases, bullying and workplace bullying and emotional distress go hand in hand to create a negative, long-lasting impact on a person’s mental health and overall wellbeing.
Workplace bullying is a pattern of harmful, hostile, and uninvited communication or behavior directed toward a specific individual or a group. A bullying mindset creates a fearful, hostile, or intimidating environment. A bullying mindset and pattern of damaging behavior do not require overt violence. In a workplace setting, exclusion, open sarcasm, and sly or direct undermining of a colleague are bullying behaviors. People in lower job positions or no job position at all may face these behaviors and feel trapped in the situation, powerless to retaliate, and fearful of losing their job or position.
Recognizing bullying behaviors is the first step to preventing bullying. Criticism, gossip, and humiliation are all negative actions that impact a person’s self-esteem and overall mental health. Bullying behaviors in a workplace setting can lead to severe mental health problems, anxiety and depression, and result in low motivation, turning an emotionally neutral or positive environment into an emotional battleground.
Common Forms of Workplace Bullying
When thinking about workplace bullying, someone may picture a person standing and yelling insults at a co-worker, but its manifestations are far subtler and equally harmful. Examples are emotional manipulation, passive-aggressive behavior, and exclusion of someone from conversations and collaborations. Bullies sometimes hide behind “jokes” or “constructive feedback” to confuse victims and make them question their feelings.
Microaggressions are another damaging form of workplace bullying. These are small, frequent, and disguised workplace insults or dismissive comments aimed at a person, and they add up over time. Bullying tactics, such as spreading false and malicious gossip, information hoarding, and overmanaging someone, are designed to a bully to control another person.
The problem of bullying is worsened by its technological forms, or cyberbullying. Personal and work boundaries are blurred by emails and texts which can be used to bully and harass.
Any form of bullying leaves emotional scars. The behavior victims internalize often results as them thinking they are at fault for the bullying happening to them. These are the reasons why victims of workplace bullying need to be aware of and educate others in their workplace about the bullying so that they can obtain help as early as possible to prevent it from escalating.
The Psychological Effects of Workplace Bullying
The impact of workplace bullying on the victims can be lethal. Victims most typically sustain chronic stress, anxiety, and hopelessness. Anticipating hostility, judgment, and active targeting towards oneself, or intimidation, all work to promote emotional exhaustion, and, in some cases, PTSD. The hyper-vigilant stress response works to sustain the mental and emotional mandate of exhaustion.
Eventually, the emotional drain impacts victims and their overall personal life. It damages their relationships, negatively impacts the quality and quantity of their sleep, and erodes their physical health. Stress is most commonly reported to take the form of headaches, fatigue, and a disruption of the digestive system. The psychological impact and stress of workplace bullying does not dial down when the workday does; it follows the victims home, and impacts every corner of their life.
The impact on victims’ self-worth can be even more debilitating. Bullies lead their victims to the denigration of their own self-worth, and their own skill-set, even in the things they used to be confident in. Decreased productivity and job satisfaction follow, thus leading to a vicious cycle.
The impact of workplace bullying and emotional distress is obvious to most, and it must be resolved to create a work climate in which every employee can feel secure and appreciated.
Recognizing Signs of Emotional Distress
Emotional distress in a workplace setting can go undetected for quite some time. Some people hide their suffering and try to put on a brave front. These people may try to protect themselves from judgement and disbelieving onlookers. Nevertheless, in some cases people can hide suffering for a long time.
Consistent absences, difficulties with attention, and sudden aloofness can all point to a bigger problem. Emotional distress can look like irritability or sluggishness and be misidentified as simply poor work ethic. Stress injuries like headaches, muscle pain, and sleep problems can be caused by deep rooted prolonged stress.
Recognizing these symptoms early is an essential function of leaders and human resource professionals. Providing employees with the means to voice their concerns and feelings can be the difference in preventing severe distress and even workplace injuries. Concerned coworkers can inspire an atmosphere of empathy. Having someone notice their pain can be a huge comforting factor in someone’s distress.
Counseling and guidance therapy can be an essential part of someone’s recovery journey. Professional treatment can provide the tools to process workplace bullying and work emotional distress to stave off recovery that leaves the workplace more demoralizing than it was. Increased awareness and empathy within the workplace can empower employees.
The Role of Organizational Culture in Workplace Bullying
Place bullying occurs in a setting where employee disrespect towards each other is common. Environments where unregulated competition, favoritism, or lack of accountability are predominant encourages bullying. On the other hand, organizations that promote workplace respect, transparency, along with above collaboration discourage harassment.
An unhealthy workplace culture often encourages bullying behaviors under the politically correct excuses of “tough leadership” or “office politics.” When leaders lack empathy or when complaints are dealt with in a surface manner, bullying behavior is reinforced. Silencing the victim while keeping unaddressed complaints active encourages an unhealthy bullying culture.
To change this culture, organizations need to evaluate the psychological safety of their employees by setting and communicating clear anti bullying workplace policies. Equally important is exercising leadership accountability, and setting a hostile work environment with emotional legislation policies geared towards emotional unarticulated behaviors. When workplace empathy is encouraged and taught, employees become unarticulated advocates for their fellow team members. A positive workplace culture amplifies performance, retention, and psychological bottom line.
Addressing Workplace Bullying: Steps for Employers and Employees
Combating bullying requires action from both management and employees. Procedures for reporting and dealing with complaints should be held without risk to the complainant. Victims of bullying should always be assured confidentiality, safety, and no immediate judgments to ensure they feel safe coming forward.
Leadership training should emphasize empathy within the workplace, communication, and conflict resolutions strategies. Supervisory staff should be allowed to see and be trained to recognize the early signs of bullying and be the first to stop it. Employees should be able to help improve organizational workplace dynamics through regular and anonymous suggestions, checklists, and the use of employee assistance programs.
For employees, the recording of bullying incidents for documentation is critical, this includes emails, messages, and detailed accounts of events. Emotional support from mentors and mental health staff/backing should also be sought for guidance.
Everyone benefits when employees know their rights and organizations maintain a respectful tone. The objective should be to improve workplace culture, it should be rooted and balanced in animosity and distress with no bullying of any type.
Long-term Consequences on Mental Wellbeing
Workplace bullying has long-term effects that last long after the job is over. People can remain emotionally scarred long after they have left a toxic setting. Many victims find it difficult to trust authority figures or coworkers in their new jobs, and some even avoid promotions because they fear the bullying will happen again.
The cumulative effects of prolonged bullying can result in serious psychological issues like clinical depression, anxiety, and even PTSD. Feelings of isolation and the loss of confidence can prevent the person from moving forward in their life or career. For some, the trauma of being mistreated in the workplace controls how they relate to all other relationships for the rest of their lives.
The good news is that it is possible to fully heal. Triage, self-care, and active communities surrounding a person can assist in reclaiming their self-worth and lost confidence. Healing is a long process that can happen only when the person and those around them understand that the effects of workplace bullying and the accompanying emotional trauma can be mended with time, empathy, and professional help.
Workplaces must also help in this process. Providing mental health support, creating a culture of open communication, and actively working on their culture to support mental health and emotional wellness will help prevent future issues. The more proactive a workplace is, the fewer employees will suffer in silence.
At San Jose Mental Health, we realize how much work environments can influence mental and emotional health. Our team skillfully and gently helps those struggling with the consequences of work emotional distress and work bullying. Through tailored therapy and therapy settings, we ensure that everybody helps rebuild self-esteem, harmony, and peace of mind, one meaningful step at a time with the aim of complete recovery.
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