Bullying incidents have received a lot of attention in the media in recent times. While these situations have involved children or young adults, one bullying scenario that isn’t usually part of the discussion is workplace bullying. That’s unfortunate considering that 49% – nearly half! – of all employees report being impacted by an office bully, according to a study by the Workplace Bullying Institute.
As one of the leading staffing services firms in Dade County, Future Force Personnel knows that workplace bullying is clearly a big deal. But the question becomes: If you have a bully in your office, what can you do about it?
Here are some tips to consider:
- Bullies operate successfully in a culture of silence. So if your company doesn’t encourage an open door policy or workplace communication, then that’s the first place to start. Make your employees aware of all avenues available to them to work through a situation involving office bullying.
- Resolve an personality conflicts you see before they escalate. These types of issues tend to blow up quickly and can result in an ugly encounter. So take conflicts seriously and meet with the parties involved privately. Document the issue, what’s discussed, and what you and the parties agreed to in order to resolve the situation.
- Expect the bully to defend their actions and say they were just “joking around.” But don’t back down. Give specific examples of their behavior, explain why it’s not appropriate, and remain composed during the conversation. Be very clear with the bully about the ramifications of their continued behavior.
- Examine your hiring process to see if there are areas in which you need to shore up weaknesses within the process. For instance, know about and look for traits in candidates that indicate aggressiveness (different from assertiveness), an inability to get along with others, and a desire to dominate things. By hiring the right people to start, you can avoid having to deal with a bully altogether.
Need to Fill a Position Recently Vacated by an Office Bully?
Give Future Force Personnel a call. As one of the leading staffing services firms in Dade County, we can give you access to an entire network of qualified, dependable, and professional workers on a full-time or temporary basis. Contact Future Force today to learn more.