Bullying in the workplace can happen to anyone. You may witness a colleague getting bullied or you can be the victim. Whichever is the situation, it is important for us to know how to deal with it and keep ourselves safe from any possible danger. If getting bullied becomes an ongoing issue at your workplace, what should you do? In this article we will discuss some steps to stand up against a workplace bully.

Some Common Types of Workplace Bully

Anyone can face a bully at the office. And this can be a nightmare! Sometimes employees are so scared of the bully that they won't even report it. But there is no reason to let someone push you around. Bullies may get their power from causing other people to back down, but this does not mean you have to abuse your own power by letting them push you around.

Sadistic Bully

Find out the type of bully you are dealing with. There are four main workplace bully types. The first is known as the "sadistic" bully. These bullies enjoy their position of power and relish in the fear they can provoke in others. They often enjoy seeing other people look down and powerless but will rarely directly confront them, preferring instead to undermine them behind their back. You will need to identify a sadistic bully is important, because you will need to handle them differently.

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Aggressive Bully

Next, there is the aggressive type of bully. This is the bully who sees other people as their targets and whose goal is simply to get to you and make you feel small. They often have an inflated sense of entitlement and will use this to justify the bullying.

Demanding Bully

These bullies will often gloat about what they can get from other people by threatening or intimidating them. Their goal is not power at all, but rather just for them to be able to control you through fear. These are bullies that are almost impossible for others to help because they demand respect but don't give it back. Recognizing a demanding bully can be important because of how easily they can manipulate others without even realizing it.

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Mastermind Bully

The final type of bully is the mastermind bully. This is someone who bullies by proxy. They are not directly involved, but they certainly know what's going on and are the ones calling the shots. Mastermind bullies are above everyone else and treat their underlings like pawns in a game of chess. Usually bosses do this kind of bullying and it becomes difficult to stand against them. You may feel that you are fighting against the entire office instead of just one bad person.

Ways to Stand up Against the Bully

First of all, it is necessary to confront the bully in person. Besides, you may also need to go through the documentation of the situation and reporting to the authority. This can be a daunting task, especially if you expect that your boss will ask you not to get them involved because they will handle it. There are many other ways to cope with bullies in a peaceful manner outside of the workplace.

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Take care of yourself

This can be a very hard thing to do, especially at first. Accept that you may be having a hard time, and don't let your emotions get the better of you. Taking time off to relax away from your job is, by no means, an admission that you were wrong not to stand up for yourself earlier on. It is important that you take a look at how your job affects how you feel about yourself and also that you recognize how your job may be affecting the work environment in general.

Practice Assertiveness

This means learning how to say no and also to set clear boundaries with people. Assertiveness can be very empowering, especially when you are facing someone who wants to see you afraid. Do not let them understand that they are getting toward you.

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Deal with the Behavior

Be able to deal with the situation calmly and effectively at all times, no matter how big or small the situation might be.

Be Prepared for Any Outcome

Initially, you may get bullied by one person. However, it is normal that you may think that the person will stop after you become familiar with the office environment. You may even think that the person will become your friend. However, what it will do is make sure that you are ready for any type of change in their behavior, both good and bad. The more prepared you are for their shift in personality, the better chance you will have of remaining in control of your life.

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Set a Rule that You Can Always Count On

Have a rule in place that you can always turn to if you need to. It could be anything from the rule that you won't answer the phone or respond to email during the day to a specific system of taking care of your mail so that it will be in your hands when it's time for you to do so. Creating this set of rules gives you something concrete and easy, as well as ensures that no matter how things are going, no one's ever betting against your rule.

Ask for Help

The most important thing is not to put the burden on yourself any longer. Whatever you might be going through, never assume that you can handle the situation alone or that the only solution is to quit or change jobs. There is always help and solutions out there. You may seek help from anyone in your company or community who may have faced a workplace bully, and coped up with that, as well as mention what it feels like and what you can do about it. 

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If All Else Fails, Change the Job

The most important thing is being able to decide when it's not working out and when enough is enough. If you feel that there's no reasonable way to change your workplace, then it might be time to move on. Do not be afraid; if you do end up leaving the job, no one will think any less of you. No one will care!

Final Words

Lastly, it is important that you do your best not to punish the victim in any way for what has happened. It is very easy for a person who has been bullied to feel like it was their own fault for not standing up for themselves sooner. It should be made clear that this is not the case and that being bullied at work does not indicate that you were being lazy or trying to avoid your job responsibilities.

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