What Can You Do About Workplace Bullying?
Are you in a job where you feel like you are swimming in a tank full of sharks? Are you disengaged, dissatisfied, angry, bored, bullied or have “the boss from hell” who ignores your talent and does not cultivate your growth? You are not alone.
As a psychic reader at Absolute Soul Secrets, I am taking a higher number of calls from people who are miserable, unhappy or completely dissatisfied at work and are ready to ‘jump ship’. And the most common reason these callers want to ‘jump ship’? Workplace bullying! So what can you do about Workplace Bullying?
How Workplace Bullying Affects Us
Workplace bullying can be harmful to the person experiencing it and to those who witness it. It ruins lives and destroys workplaces, and it’s up to you and your employer to put a stop to it.
Workplace bullying is verbal, physical, social or psychological abuse by your employer (or manager), another person or group of people at work.
Workplace bullying can happen in any type of workplace, from offices to shops, cafes, restaurants, workshops, community groups and government organisations.
Workplace bullying can happen to volunteers, work experience students, interns, apprentices, casual and permanent employees.
Some types of workplace bullying are criminal offences. If you have experienced violence, assault and stalking you can report this directly to the police.
What Does Bullying in the Workplace Look Like?
- Repeated hurtful remarks or attacks, or making fun of your work or you as a person (including your family, sex, sexuality, gender identity, race or culture, education or economic background).
- Sexual harassment, particularly stuff like unwelcome touching and sexually explicit comments and requests that make you uncomfortable.
- Excluding you or stopping you from working with people or taking part in activities that relates to your work.
- Playing mind games, ganging up on you, or other types of psychological harassment.
- Intimidation (making you feel less important and undervalued).
- Giving you pointless tasks that have nothing to do with your job.
- Giving you impossible jobs that can’t be done in the given time or with the resources provided.
- Deliberately changing your work hours or schedule to make it difficult for you.
- Deliberately holding back information you need for getting your work done properly.
- Pushing, shoving, tripping, grabbing you in the workplace.
- Attacking or threatening with equipment, knives, guns, clubs or any other type of object that can be turned into a weapon.
- Initiation or hazing – where you are made to do humiliating or inappropriate things in order to be accepted as part of the team.
(Source: Australian Human Rights Commission.)
The Importance of a Positive Workplace Culture
What’s the culture of the organisation like? A positive workplace culture is very important. It can engender a real team. With the right workplace culture, your staff want to come to work each day – and they’re less likely to quit. Given that it can cost thousands of dollars to recruit and train a new staff member, keeping staff engaged makes solid business sense.
Dealing with Workplace Bullying from a Spiritual Perspective
I want to look at how to tackle this problem of bullying in the work place from a Spiritual perspective. I must add first if it is in the form of sexual harassment, it must be reported to management and if the issue is not dealt with in the right manner, then report to the police.
I have Buddhist leanings that guide me along my path in life but any religion/belief that leads you to the light is welcomed. I have infused this story below into my ‘DNA’ for the last twelve months. It has brought balance in my life. It has kept me on my path in dark stormy moments. In hindsight I wish I had been exposed to this story much sooner in life. If you can incorporate this belief in your ‘DNA’, it will relieve you of life’s stress and anxieties or better cope with them. It will make you ‘bullet proof’. It may take you a little while to incorporate this fully into your ‘DNA’, but keep working on it. I have and it works…
The Story of the Angry Young Man and The Buddha
It is said that one day the Buddha was walking through a village. A very angry and rude young man came up and began insulting him, saying all kinds of rude words.
The Buddha was not upset by these insults. Instead he asked the young man, “Tell me, if you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not take it, to whom does the gift belong?”
The young man was surprised to be asked such a strange question and answered, “It would belong to me, because I bought the gift.”
The Buddha smiled and said, “That is correct. And it is exactly the same with your anger. If you become angry with me and I do not get insulted, then the anger falls back on you. You are then the only one who becomes unhappy, not me. All you have done is hurt yourself.”
I also believe from the lessons I have learnt on my own journey to date, and the many thousands of people I have spoken to on this psychic phone line, the Universe/God doesn’t give you anything you cannot deal with. Yes, it may be challenging, you may not understand what is ahead of you but that is what life’s journey is about. The challenges that are put there are for you to deal with, with help from Spirit, so you will grow… become more Enlightened. We are all now in a place along our journey where the challenge and growth and movement along our path will hinge on how we deal with these challenges.
I love this quote written by “The Group”…
“You think of yourselves as humans searching for a spiritual awakening, when in fact you are spiritual beings attempting to cope with a human awakening. Seeing yourselves from the perspective of the spirit within, will help you to remember why you came here and what you came here to do.”
In reflection at the end of this journey, in another time and place, we all will know that life’s journey is the sum total of the collection of the bitter and the sweet moments we experience along the way.
If you are being bullied at work and need support, please feel free to give one of our talented psychics who have these support skills to help you, at Absolute Soul Secrets.
