Welcome back to another blog post from Matthew Mckenzie a carer from South London.  I have done another collaboration video on the subject of bullying, which is actually quite common in schools and in the workplace, although not just restricted to those two areas.

Both Katie and myself have made a fairly lengthy video where she covers how bullying affects young people in schools and I took on the subject of bullying in the workplace.  Katie and myself have both been victims of bullying, which we both feel certainly contributes to mental health.

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Bullying can be covert or overt which means bullying can be hidden or outright present for all to see.  Bullying can also come with complex agendas or via a misunderstanding, but the result can usually be damaging.  The government certainly takes bullying seriously and has launched a series of initiatives to tackle bullying in the workplace and in schools, but there is still a long way to go before bullying becomes less of a problem.

In my section of the video, I tackle bullying in 3 to 4 sections.

1. Types of workplace bullying.
2. How bullying affects mental health and the workplace.
3. Cost to the economy.
4. How to combat bullying.

Katie in her sections also looks at how bullying affects young people and how to deal with bullying, so please pay close attention to her sections.

To watch the video, please click the video below.

The breakdown of each section

Bullying is no joke, we all sometimes think we are having a laugh or ridiculing someone, maybe we bully out of fear or anger, but the consequences of bullying can be very serious. As I explain on my section “The effects of workplace bullying”, there is a high price to be paid on the victim, the workplace and society at large.

Types of Workplace Bullying.

The types of workplace bullying is large and can come in many forms, although I explain in lengthy detail in the video, I thought to do a brief list here.

• Withholding information on performing one’s job.
• Treating a worker differently than other co-workers are treated
• Consistently Denying an employee access to resources, assignments, projects or opportunities.
• Excessive, impossible, conflicting work expectations or demands.
• Humiliation, public reprimands or obscene language.
• Little or no feedback on performance.

There are also other forms of bullying, which I have covered in the video.

How bullying affects mental health and the workplace

Bullying that is unchecked within the workplace can start a chain reaction which leads to reduced productivity, mental health problems, mistrust of others and all sorts of complications.

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The staggering cost of workplace bullying is estimated to be at £19 billion, which might seem unbelievable, but also goes to show the high price paid by the UK economy.  The cost does not stop there as those suffering from bullying end up having to take work off and seeking treatment.

Families are put under severe strain as bullying causes an impact where victims either suffer depression, stress and other mental health symptoms or victims in turn take this out on those that love or try to support them.

Combating Bullying

Make no mistake about it, bullying is wrong and no one need put up with it.  In it’s lesser forms people usually ignore it, but if it continues then one has to act, not just because people need to feel safe in their environment be it the school, college or workplace, but also because their own health is at risk.  No one should have to pay such a high price.

In the section of my video, I point out a few steps on how to tackle bullying in the workplace.

If you also want to read more information about workplace bullying, please visit the link below from ACAS – Advisory Concilliation and Arbitration Service

Bullying and harassment at work

Thanks for reading.