FAQs About Bullied to Bulletproof

Who is Bullied To Bulletproof?

We are run by Jo Brown, a expert with more than 20 years experience in helping individuals who are bullied at work, as well as working with HR and organisations to prevent bullying and implement effective interventions. You can read more here

How can you help me?

We can help in many ways, depending on your situation and what your desired outcome is. Check out this page to see our range of services, from a free support group to our flagship mentorship program for those who need more dedicated and personalised support

How do I contact you?

You can follow us on social media (see the bottom for the links) or you can contact us by messaging us on this page

Any other questions?

Send us a message on this page to ask anything else you’re unsure of - we’re here to help

FAQs About Workplace Bullying

What is workplace bullying?

Workplace bullying is the repeated, harmful mistreatment directed at an individual or a group of individuals. It involves behaviours that creates a hostile work environment, causing emotional, psychological, or even physical harm. There are various types of workplace bullying and examples of bullying can range from verbal abuse and humiliation to intimidation, sabotage and gaslighting

What is the definition of workplace bullying?

No one agrees on a definition! Can you imagine how difficult this makes trying to complain about bullying when there’s no consensus?!

Bullied to Bulletproof advise you to check any policy your organisation has, to see what they define as workplace bullying before proceeding with any informal or formal complaint

To give you a good grasp of definitions, here is our choice selection. Let’s begin with what we consider the most used definition in the UK by ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service), which we use ourselves:

"Bullying may be characterised as offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, an abuse or misuse of power through means that undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure the recipient. Bullying or harassment may be by an individual against an individual (perhaps by someone in a position of authority, such as a manager or supervisor) or involve groups of people. It may be obvious or it may be insidious. Whatever form it takes, it is unwarranted and unwelcome to the individual”

A European version by EU-OSHA (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work) defines it as "Workplace bullying is repeated inappropriate behaviour, direct or indirect, whether verbal, physical, or otherwise, conducted by one or more persons against another or others, at the place of work and/or in the course of employment"

The Workplace Bullying Institute, run by our friends the Namies in the USA, define it as "Workplace Bullying is repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators. It is abusive conduct that is threatening, humiliating, or intimidating, and that interferes with work. It can include verbal abuse, offensive conduct, and interference with work performance"

The most used questionnaire to assess prevalence of workplace bullying in the world is the Negative Acts Questionnaire by the Bergen Bullying Group (Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., & Notelaers, G., 2009). They define bullying as “a situation where one or several individuals persistently over a period of time perceive themselves to be on the receiving end of negative actions from one or several persons, in a situation where the target of bullying has difficulty in defending him or herself against these actions”

What these definitions share is the repetitive and harmful nature of workplace bullying. Other common elements in definitions across the world include frequency of incidents, duration of how long it has been going on, the intent of the perpetrator, whether there is a power imbalance and the negative impact on the target

What are the types of bullying, and can you share some examples?

Workplace bullying behaviour can manifest in various forms, including verbal, social, and physical aggression. Verbal bullying involves name-calling or yelling, social bullying includes exclusion, gaslighting and spreading rumours, while physical bullying can involve actual harm or destruction of property

Examples of workplace bullying here are shared from the Short Negative Acts Questionnaire by Einarsen, Hoel & Notelaers (2009)

✔︎ Someone withholding information which affects your performance

✔︎ Repeated reminders of your errors or mistakesPersistent criticism of your work and effort

✔︎ Spreading of gossip and rumours about you

✔︎ Having insulting or offensive remarks made about your person (i.e. habits and background), your attitudes or your private life

✔︎ Being shouted at or being the target of spontaneous anger (or rage)

✔︎ Being ignored or excluded (being ‘sent to Coventry’)

✔︎ Being ignored or facing a hostile reaction when you approach

✔︎ Practical jokes carried out by people you don’t get on with

What are the signs I'm being bullied at work?

Recognising signs of workplace bullying is crucial. Beyond overt mistreatment, signs may include feeling constantly belittled, sudden changes in relationships with colleagues, or consistently being assigned unmanageable workloads.

Emotional signs you feel, can manifest as increased anxiety, stress, or depression. Always feeling on guard or being nervous about going into work or who’s around you, can also be signs. Pay attention to shifts in behaviour, both yours and those around you, and trust your instincts - if something doesn’t feel right, it usually isn’t!

Who gets bullied at work?

Anyone can bully, anyone can be bullied! You may think you’re not the type of person to get bullied but for most, you sadly can be. It can happen to employees at any level, from entry-level staff to upper management. It can be from a co-worker, a manager (the most common), a subordinate, a client or supplier. Bullying is a part of human nature, albeit the darker side so anywhere with 2 or more people it can happen whatever the environment, context or people involved. The key is recognising the signs early and taking steps to address the situation, regardless of your position within the organisation