Bullying boss
Question
My supervisor and team leader at work have started to gang up on me. The bullying is becoming unbearable, but I feel trapped in the job because I need to support my family. What can I do?
Answer
Being bullied at work is a very unpleasant experience and many victims solve the problem by simply leaving their job. Although this may solve the problem in the short term the company is left with a culture of bullying which can increase over time.
Bullying at work is a health and safety issue and the employer has a duty of care towards you as with any other health and safety issue at work. The first thing you need to do is to check your written terms and conditions to see if there is a dignity at work, harassment, or bullying policy that lays down a procedure for dealing with a situation like this. If there are no policies or procedures you may need to use the company's grievance procedures.
If you belong to a trade union you may want to talk to them before you start taking action inside the company. If you are not a member of a trade union you may want to talk to the Human Resources (HR) department at the company and seek their advice about the way forward. You will certainly need to jump the initial steps in any procedure, as it is your team leader and supervisor who are bullying you.
There are a number of organisations that offer more specialist advice on bullying at work, you can find a list of them on BullyOnline. The Andrea Adams Trust also offers a telephone helpline on 01273 704900 and Acas (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) has helpful information on their website.
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