Bullying

[tiggerblue10]

Who can I turn to if I feel like I'm being bullied at work?

[B00]

Your manager? boss? HR?

[tiggerblue10]

My boss is the one who I feel is bullying me. I have spoken to my senior manager about this and she dismisses my claims. I have spoken to the welfare officer but my senior manager has also managed to make her believe that its not going on.

I don't know what to do anymore.

[dot.hawkes]

this does not sound right, no manager would dismiss this sort o claim, have you followed the correct procedure for making a formal complaint? If you have been having difficulty at work with your performance and your manager had spoken to you about it and offered you re-training thought periodic appraisal, but you have not improved, and the manager has become unprofessional and put you under indue pressure and made you feel bullied, then you must use the recognised route for making a complaint that is set out in your staff handbook, they cannot ignore it then.
Whatever you do, it must be done via the guidelines for lodging a compaint set out in your handbook, but this should be the very last resort and if you cannot get it taken seriously at each level, let them know you will go further up the management chain until someone listens.

[tiggerblue10]

My boss had a similar complaint made against him last year however it was dismissed. HR won't listen to me as my senior boss has influence over them. That is why the last case of bullying was dismissed.

Its not to do with my work. My work is fine and my senior boss has said that she can't function without me.

How am I going to prove that I am being bullied? I don't know where to begin.

[bobtheturkey]

in what way are you being bullied

[Goodsoulette]

Write down everything that has happened as much as you can remember and continue to do so. Ask the boss that you feel is bullying you if she has any issues with the way you work? If he says yes and tells you what, then make sure you never fault in these areas. If you cant show him everything you have written down, take it above him and then above them.

If HR wont help you they aren't doing their job and you will probably end up with a case for constructive dismissal which is where citizens advice will help you. I would have thought that after just one complaint they would have tried to set up some kind of mediation.Go to them before you feel pushed out.

Can you be specific as to why you feel she is bullying you?

[shazzzz]

I worked in an office once that was enough for me,one fello used to put,washing up liquid in my coffee cup and offer to make me coffee.after about the second cup he said maybe he never washed cups out.This went on for some time i was amazed at how many people took his side after all to them he was being kind making me coffee.Then one day i nearly lept the desk and laid him out ,i was given a weeks paid leave and he was moved to the wearhouse,good job both bosses liked me and were quite understanding after i told them what i had to been putting up with .hopefully you wont get to this point.I would like to think i was a pretty laid back person but you can only take to much.I am now self employed and enjoying my work good luck tiggerblue10

[tiggerblue10]

Its difficult to explain why I feel bullied but I'll try.

We were supposed to work together last xmas. We were going to be the only ones as everybody else was on leave. He then joked with another colleague that he wouldn't be there for those particular days as his trains had been cancelled. He never made any effort to arrange for me to have assistance and it was left up to my senior manager to sort this.

Since xmas everything has gone downhill. I have been in meetings with him where he has threatened me and said that he will come down on me like a ton of bricks if I don't improve my attitude/mood. He is oblivious to the fact that he is the one that is making me feel so down.

He has complained about an urgent phone call I had to make one day about my mortgage. I very rarely make personal phone calls but this was urgent. My colleagues are always on the phone to their family or friends. One of them get phone calls on her mobile several time a day. He complained about the way I was dressed one day although when I asked other staff including the head of unit they all said they couldn't see anthing wrong in the way I was dressed.

He has done a lot of other things which I am going to have to try to remember if I'm going to note everything down.

[rugeleyboy]

i fear the sad fact is, he may not like you and he is wrongly bullying you to make you leave the company?

i would make a diary of all the things you would class as bullying and call a meeting with all you seniors and this person and raise these facts against them?

nobody in business wants a tribunal as it costs at least �1500 win or lose so i think they would take you seriously??

good luck anyway!!

[thugulike]

Have a look at the ACAS website and ask HR for a copy of their Bullying & Harassment policy. It sounds like a reasonably large company and they sould have one. If you speak to HR and tell them that you feel you will have no choice but resign because of this behaviour and if you do that you will claim constructive unfair dismissal they should take notice. Even if your case was weak it costs a fortune to defend a case like that. If they still do nothing then think about leaving. Keep a diary with dates and witnesses of events.

[mrrobbo15]

just leave.....theres no point in getting stressed at work...you can get that at home !!

and dont think leaving is 'they have won'......its a case of 'they have lost' cuz they ave lost a good person

[Mr k]

All company's have to have a policy to deal with bullying by law..
http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=79 7

Follow what Goodsoulette has said but make sure you follow all the company's procedure.
Most company's fail here or use there own procedure and not the one they should use by law...

http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/9/5/CP01_1.pd f

If you feel you are getting nowhere after you have gone through the procedure then you may have to leave under constructive dismissal

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employe es/RedundancyAndLeavingYourJob/DG_10026696

Most house insurances will pay for a case to be taken to court as long as you have at least 51% of winning.
They will find you a solicitor who is in employment law..
I found the CB and acas a total waste of time and told me to drop my case...
A word of warning it can be stressful going through with any of the above. As any manger wont be happy with a complaint against him except lies to be told.
ALL BULLYS ARE SCUM<b/> and have to be stood up to.

[Mr k]

When i said the house insurance you don't have to be the policy holder your parents policy will cover you........

[jiggy-gb]

Does this only happen when you are on your own with him or is it in front of colleagues, even if quietly? I'm not suggesting for one minute you should front up to him, but don't take it quietly! Be louder in your answers, especially in front of others, you'll be surprised how quickly the bully backs down when his true colours are exposed to those around him. You'll shake like a leaf and your heart will leap out of your chest, but so will his, so take some joy and strength from that fact!
Good luck, no one likes a bully, you have right on your side.

[tiggerblue10]

Thank you all very much for your advise. I appreciate all your responses.

jiggy - he does it during one-to-one meetings. I have told my senior manager this but she just shrugs it off as being his nature.

I also have some emails that he has sent me in the past which can be used as evidence. I am going to email them to my home account and print them off.

[Spikey88]

I do agree that you must keep a record of the times of the bullying & EXACTLY what was said & ideally if you can have a witness too (just ask someone to listen in to convo's every time)
I went through a degree of bullying at work for a while & because I'm not confrontational I just put up with it.In the end I had a certain amount of evidence (emails) so I sent them to my boss & copied & pasted the Bullying & Harassment part of the companies policy.
I do have to say it was also my boss that was involved in the bullying ( it was a case if being excluded from information to be able to do my job to the best of my ability) however as it had been made official to HIM he did have to do something about it - had he done nothing I could have taken it far further.
As it is now, my boss has actually left & his pal " the other bully" remains there - but he has really gone quiet!
I hope you manage to get it sorted out in the way that best makes you feel comfortable.