Disrupt A Workplace Bully’s Aggressive Behavior

By Sarah Rae Trover, LifeHacker.com.au

No one likes a bully, especially in the workplace. They not only affect your mental wellness and increase stress, but can cost your employers big bucks due to a lack of productivity. But you can help kick their bad bullying habits.

Harvard Business says that a bully’s actions might not be something (s)he is aware of — that the bullying might have more to do with a daily repetitive act instead of an actual intent to do harm. Making a bully pay attention to his/her actions, then, can be as simple as disrupting their routine.

Current research in neuroscience supports the concept the “neurons that fire together, wire together” — that is, behaviours repeatedly practiced get more entrenched over time and become unconscious habits. Deliberate interruption sets the stage for change. Leaders can disrupt bullying by providing a safe, confidential space in which employees can talk about their experiences without fear of retaliation — whether from co-workers or management.

Hit up Harvard Business for more suggestions on handling your office bully and for a closer look at who’s doing all the bullying. Have you been the victim of a bully at work? Let’s hear how you dealt with it in the comments.