Expert Answers: Bullying is making work a nightmare

Bullying at work is when someone tries to intimidate another worker, often in front of colleagues.

It is usually, though not always, done to someone in a less senior position. It is similar to harassment, which is where someone's behaviour is offensive. For example, making sexual comments, or abusing someone's race, religion or sexual orientation.

You cannot make a legal claim directly about bullying, but complaints can be made under laws covering discrimination and harassment. If you are forced to resign because of bullying, you may be able to make a constructive dismissal claim.

Bullying includes abuse, physical or verbal violence, humiliation and undermining someone's confidence. You are probably being bullied if, for example, you are:

constantly picked on.

humiliated in front of colleagues.

regularly unfairly treated.

physically or verbally abused.

blamed for problems caused by others.

always given too much to do, so that you regularly fail in your work.

regularly threatened with the sack.

unfairly passed over for promotion or denied training opportunities.

Bullying can be face-to-face, in writing, over the phone or by fax or email.

If you think you are being bullied, it is best to talk it over with someone. Sometimes what seems like bullying might not be.

For example, you might have more work to do because of a change in the way your organisation is run. If you find it difficult to cope, talk to your manager or supervisor, who might be as concerned as you are. Sometimes all it takes is a change in the way you work to give you time to adjust.

What to do if you are bullied at work.

Employers have a "duty of care" to their employees, and this includes dealing with bullying at work. There are measures you can take if you are being bullied.

Get advice. Speak to someone about how you might deal with the problem informally. This may be:

an employee representative like a trade union official.

your manager or supervisor.

Someone in the firm's human resources department.

Some employers have specially trained staff to help with bullying and harassment problems. They are sometimes called "harassment advisers". If the bullying is affecting your health, visit your GP.

The bullying may not be deliberate. If you can, talk to the person in question, who may not realise how their behaviour has been affecting you. Work out what to say beforehand. Describe what has been happening and why you object to it. Stay calm and be polite.

Write down details of every incident and keep copies of any relevant documents.

Making a formal complaint is the next step if you can't solve the problem informally. To do this, you must follow your employer's grievance procedure.

Remember that it is not possible to go to an Employment Tribunal directly over bullying. Complaints can be made under laws covering discrimination and harassment.

If you have left your job because of bullying,

you may be able to claim unfair "constructive" dismissal.

This can be difficult to prove, so it is important to get advice from a specialist lawyer or other professional.

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) offers free, confidential and impartial advice on all employment rights issues. You can call the Acas helpline on 08457 474 747.

Paul Charlson

GP from Brough

To have a job you love to be changed by a new team member must be very difficult.

Your line manager appears to be satisfied with your work so you must be a valuable team member. Perhaps it is your experience that is making your new team member feel inadequate.

Her method of dealing with this is to undermine you.

It is understandable that you have lost your confidence as a result. You need to seek advice as bullying at work is not acceptable.

If you are a member of a union, they can often advise on issues such as this and there is plenty of advice on line.

Take the time to find a course in confidence building which could be beneficial and help you to keep the job you love.

Speak to your GP on help and advice on your health issues.

Elaine Douglas

A chartered psychologist who specialises in family and child relationships

What you are describing is bullying – pure and simple. You should not be placed in the situation where you dread going to work, or that your health is suffering. However, your problem is complicated by the fact that this woman is friendly with your line manager.

I do think that you need to do something about all of this. There are a number of things, the first is to get some evidence. By this I mean that you need to keep a log. Get a notebook and carry it around with you. The next time this woman says something to you, record exactly the date and time, what was said, and where, what you did, who was there (if anyone) and how it made you feel. If she comments, tell her what you are doing, but don't enter into any further conversation.

Ask to see your anti-bullying policy at work. You may need to speak to HR. Are you in a union? If so, contact your rep. If things don't improve you may need to consider going to another manager (with your evidence) and taking things further.

Cary Cooper

Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University

Although you have talked to your line manager about this problem, it seems to me that you haven't talked to her enough about it.

I think you need to make the time and space to have a discussion with her, focusing on what impact her behaviour is having on you. In order to do this, you need to catalogue specific incidences that have occurred recently that illustrate how she has belittled or undermined you at work.

You need clear recent examples of her behaviour, and how these undermined or devalued you in the context of your work or workplace.

Once you have catalogued some recent instances, you need to find the right time and place to have your discussion. This might be off site somewhere, say over lunch or over a drink after work.

If this doesn't work, and she still behaves in the same way, you need to go back to the line manager, but with specific examples of her behaviour and how this is having a damaging effect on your work and health.

Dr Carol Burniston

Consultant Clinical Child Psychologist

Your colleague's behaviour amounts to bullying and your employer has a duty to protect you from this and resolve the situation.

You need to approach the person above your line manager and explain why you are doing this. If you are a member of the union, you can ask for advice and support from them.

It is important that you document any incidents with the date and time they occurred. Accurate information will help you towards a resolution more constructively than vague complaints. Some larger organisations will be able to offer a mediation service. This person may not be aware of how inappropriate their behaviour is, but try not to discuss this around the office or enlist the support of colleagues as this will not be helpful in the long term. I do hope you are able to resolve this issue so that you can enjoy your work life again.

You can obtain further information from www.direct.gov.uk or www.nhs.uk/Livewell/workplacehealth