How to Deal With Office Bullies

Almost every office has one – that obnoxious or bitchy officemate whose reason for existence is to make you feel like a loser. You are wrong if you think that bullies exist only in high school. Workplace bullies are even worse than the ones you encountered way back. Bullies in the office have their own people and resources which they can use to make your professional life a living hell.

How to deal with them? Here’s how:

1. One word: Ignore

Bullies live for that one miserable reaction from you. They will exert extraordinary efforts just to annoy you or make you angry. If you show them that you are affected, this will make them even more aggressive in their taunting. The trick is to not lose your cool. Ignoring them is the best defense that you have against them. The next time that a bully picks on you, do your best not to get fired up and simply act bored as hell. This will turn the tables on him; HE will be annoyed by the fact that you don’t give a hoot about what he is saying.

2. Create the impression that they can’t mess with you

Office bullies pick on the weak ones. They naturally target those who they think can’t fight against them. Create a strong persona on your first day at work. Bullies are closely watching newbies to check if they can be bullied. Adapt a poised and confident stance when walking and always hold your head high. This will make the bullies think twice about messing with you.

3. Go against the bully

There are bullies who simply refused to be ignored. In this case, you have several options. One is to team with several other people they had bullied in the past and set a confrontation. If this does not work, maybe this is the time that you should talk to your boss or HR personnel. Report their behavior if you must. They should not be allowed to continue to work in the office.