How to deal with bullying at work – live chat
From unwarranted verbal abuse to harassment on social networks or physical contact, bullying in the workplace takes many forms – and is on the rise.
What to do if you have a difficult boss
Read more
Bullying at work is often described as a “silent epidemic”. Despite more awareness of the issue, and processes in place to protect employees, nearly a third of workers in the UK experience bullying at work according to the Trades Union Congress.
In almost two-thirds of cases, bullying is carried out by a manager – which helps to explain why people are often too afraid to speak up.
It can be easy to dismiss bullying as simply personality or management-style clashes. Victims might be blamed, or even blame themselves, for lacking the confidence to stand up for themselves. And with the rise of technology, it is possible for bullying – which can cause long-term psychological damage – to carry on outside office hours.
“Bullying is an abuse of power, and just as businesses have supply chains, so there is often a supply chain of bad or intimidatory relationships that lead one particular manager into bullying a colleague,” according to management writer Stefan Stern.
Are you being bullied at work and do you need advice? Or have you witnessed colleagues experiencing it and want to help? Join us on Wednesday 29 March from 1pm–2.30pm BST for a live chat with the experts. We’ll be discussing:
What constitutes bullying at work and the different forms it takes
What action you should take if you are being bullied
Strategies for dealing with workplace intimidation
How to support people who are being bullied at work
The panel
James Davies, an account director at PR agency CompassMR, has worked closely with anti-bullying and support charity BulliesOut for a number of years prior to joining its board last summer.
Philip Landau is a partner and founder member of niche employment law firm Landau Law Solicitors. He writes for the Guardian about legal issues in the workplace, including redundancy, unfair dismissal, breach of contract and discrimination and regularly comments on TV and radio.
Paula Lee is an experienced employment lawyer at law firm Leigh Day. She has a hands-on, practical approach to problem solving and will work with a client to try and restore harmonious working relationships where possible.
John Palmer is senior editor at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), writing and delivering equality guidance to staff and the public. He has worked at Acas for 11 years and has trained HR, legal professionals and students on a range of equality rights.
Lucille Thirlby is an equalities expert at Unison, the public sector union. She has previously worked for the union in its London region and so has first had experience dealing with issues affecting people at work.
Charlotte Thomas is an ambassador for the anti-bullying charity BulliesOut. She has organised various anti-bullying campaigns, delivered presentations to schools and youth clubs, organised fundraisers and appeared in both local and national newspapers and on TV to raise awareness about bullying.
Tim Woodward is an employment partner at law firm Bond Dickinson. With over 15 years’ experience, Woodward advises on union and collective consultation, major projects, employment tribunal litigation, board disputes, business protection actions and sensitive discrimination matters.
The Q&A takes place in the comments section below. Taking part is easier than ever: to comment, create a free Guardian account or log in using your Twitter or Facebook profile. Alternatively, tweet us @GuardianCareers or email your questions to sarah.shearman@theguardian.com who can post them for you.
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