According to the American Psychological Association (APA), bullying is defined as ‘a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort. Bullying can take the form of physical contact, words or more subtle actions. The bullied individual typically has trouble defending him or herself and does nothing to “cause” the bullying’. (Source).
When thinking of ‘typical’ workplace bullying scenarios, a few examples from the media come to mind.
Here are some examples of workplace bullying and how to cope:
In The Devil Wears Prada, the bullying is very obvious. We are exposed to the hierarchy, the drastic measures it takes to be promoted, and the reason someone is at the ‘bottom of the food chain’. In work settings, some individuals assert dominance based on how long they have been at a company, how long they have been in the field, or their connections with higher ups. This form of bullying erases the bullied individual’s identity and creates space for the individual to question themselves, their training, and their place in the company. This can impact mental health, physical health, and interpersonal exchanges.
In The Office, the bullying may come across as humorous, but it’s mainly microaggressions consisting of both well intended humor and ableism. These two forms of bullying can produce the same effects as the obvious bullying example above.
As an example of well intended humor, in the episode titled ‘Diversity Day’, Michael’s approach to diversity training was to use stereotypical expressions of different identities which inherently erases the individual person’s expression of their identity by grouping them into a stereotype. As an example of ableism, Dwight exhibits characteristics of Autism which is (not limited to) difficulty with social cues, hyperfocus, and executive dysfunction impacting interpersonal relationships. Jim targets Dwight because of these characteristics, and he continues to do so even after Dwight shows physical and mental discomfort.
The effects of any type of bullying can include depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, difficulty with trusting oneself, and more – especially if the individual has pre-existing conditions.
The effects can be traumatic when consistently exposed to bullying, being gaslit when asking for help, being spoken down to by peers or higher ups, and/or being fired for other reasons when asking for accommodations. These experiences stay with a person as they continue in their career.
Asking for help can be terrifying when working for a new company, having a change in management, or being targeted by a higher up. If you feel as though you are being bullied, talk to someone you trust in your personal life, seek out a therapist, and/or speak to Human Resources to best understand the process of eliminating the bullying.
No one deserves to be bullied, and in the process of being bullied we can forget that our voices matter. Our voices matter at all times.
“Blowing out someone else’s candle doesn’t make your shine any brighter” – Unknown
