Workplace bullying doesn’t always begin with shouting or threats, or a single dramatic incident. Sometimes it begins with a manager making personal remarks during meetings, a colleague repeatedly undermining your work or someone speaking to you in a way they would never speak to a senior. These incidents may seem small in isolation, which is why it takes so long to call it out.
The word bullying feels serious, so you keep using softer words such as stress, pressure, personality, conflict, or this is just how they are. .
No matter what you name it; it doesn’t change what that behaviour is doing to you.
Now, not every rude comment or difficult conversation is bullying. People can lose patience, communicate poorly, or have disagreements. The difference is usually in the pattern. When the same person repeatedly humiliates, isolates or targets someone, and the behaviour begins to negatively affect people, it is no longer just a ‘bad interaction’.
One of the clearest signs that the behaviour has crossed a line is when you begin planning your day around the person’s reactions. You check their mood before speaking to them, rewrite simple messages several times, avoid asking necessary questions, or stay quiet in meetings because you do not want to attract their attention.
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