Stress Caused by Workplace Bullying

First Published on Linkedin Pulse

I recently wrote about bullying in the workplace. In this article I would like to talk about “Stress as a Direct Result of Bullying”.

We hear a lot these days about stress and how to deal with it. The world is full of tips about how to deal with and eliminate stress from your life. However, it seems to me that stress which is caused by bullying is rarely given any consideration. In truth, it falls into its own category entirely and tips for dealing with mild stress simply do not apply or have any effect on stress that has been caused in this manner.

So let's look at a few signs of stress in the workplace that is being caused by bullying:

Not Sleeping. If a person is on the receiving end of bullying, lack of sleep and or irregular sleep is a classic symptom. There is often a pattern of being in bed, but going over the previous day again and again. Replays of conversations or bullying incidents can be a regular occurrence, causing sleepless nights or very poor sleeping habits.
Constant Worry. If worrying about going into work is part of your life as a result of workplace bullying, then this is one that can't be gotten away from. Bullying can be terribly distressing for the victim and as mentioned in an earlier article, this most certainly includes adults. Worry is ever present, because bullies can and do operate at all times of the day and night. Worrying encompasses Yesterday’s Worry, Today’s Worry, so too, Tomorrow's Worry.
Fatigue. Apart from the irregular sleeping pattern's associated with bullying, having it as a constant presence in your life wears you out. Bullying can grind the victim down and as a result, the longer it goes on, the worse the effects. Hence, fatigue increases which can again multiply the effects in a vicious circle.
Distress. A combination of all the symptoms of bullying ends up with a distressed victim. A victim of workplace bullying that is allowed to continue, has nowehere to go and can end up in a very distressed way. Distress = Stress x 10

A victim of workplace related stress as a direct result of bullying, will often realize that they are not receiving any support. As pointed out in a previous article, it is very important that bullying be taken seriously and dealt with for the good of the individual and the organization.

Co-workers are reluctant to rock the boat. Many of us during the course of our working lives have encountered bullying, but it can often be the case that it allowed to continue. This can be for several reasons. There is still a perception out there that bullying only happens to children by other children - Wrong. Humanity is littered with bullying incidents by adults. It has been everywhere since the beginning of time and it most definitely happens in the workplace. An attitude of not wanting to rock the boat and keeping your head down is a human safety mechanism. In other words, it could happen to you if you do anything to try and help the victim or raise awareness.

This is why again, that bullying needs to be looked out for and dealt with by those that can do something about it, to not only help the victim but to prevent or stop a bullying culture within the organization.

Lack of Policies and Procedures or Policy not being followed can be a major factor in allowing bullying practices to exist within an organization. A victim that cannot rely on fair procedure is subject to stress, which affects their personal life and health as well as their performance.

Workplace stress as a result of bullying is compounded when there is nothing in place or what is in place is inadequate or not followed. A Company Handbook is the best place to outline policy and procedure in this regard and it needs to be followed and bullying allegations need to be taken seriously and applied with the same rigour as if the claim was one of sexual harassment. Quite often, bullying is considered to be a minor irritant and hardly worth the time or effort of investigation.

It can be that bullying is not given the status that it deserves and is only in a handbook for window dressing. This is what allows bullying to continue and be thought of as management or supervision, perhaps rather that the cause of serious health issues. Perhaps an organisation considers certain people as being immune from policy and procedure. They are believed to be above suspicion, or even if there is suspicion, the policies do not apply to them. This is a recipe for a bullying culture to take root in an organization and allowed to fester. Company Policy and Procedure should apply to everyone equally from the top down as it can be that it is those with the power that are the biggest abusers of that power.

We have said above that abuse of power can lead to work related stress to the bullied victim. This is a one of the signs of bullying. Abusing a position of authority to engage in bullying behaviour, leads to very stressful situations in the workplace and is not good for those on the receiving end or the company. Stress is damaging to people and to the work environment and therefore the work.

Disregard for policy by those that can disregard it is a cause of work related stress and again is a form of bullying. An attitude that the rules don't apply to me leads to situations where a bully will do what they want and hold others to policy whenever it pleases them, but never allow it to get in the way or their bullying when it comes to themselves. This is the sort of practice that makes for poor company culture and allows stress to appear in the workplace because of bullying behaviour.

Stress leads to real issues, and, as mentioned above; Lack of Sleep, Constant Worry, being on the receiving end of never ending abuse or abuse of power. Criticism, lack of support and understanding and a company culture that allows bullying practices to continue can and do lead to very serious health issues including mental health issues. Again, this comes back to taking it as seriously as one would do for sexual harassment. It must be considered real as well as valid; too, given the due process that it deserves.

Finally, there have been awareness programs and advertisements on radio and television over the past few years advising people to look after their mental health. While all very well and good, it can be nearly impossible for some if their mental health has been directly affected by bullying in the workplace. It can be that there is no escape from it because it is allowed to continue and allowed to happen because of the culture that exists within an organization or because it is not given any thought. Or the policy, so too, procedures to deal with it are ignored.

This is why looking after your mental health should extend in the workplace to Looking after other’s Mental Health. Do the right thing, by yourself, by others; and do the right thing for the company you work for. Give workplace bullying the time, thought, so too, consideration it deserves.

Robert E. Kearns 2017