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. Read Midlife Career Change: Best Careers to Start at 40 or 50 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. Read High Paid Jobs that Will Never be Replaced by AI 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.