Don’t allow yourself to be a target for workplace bullying
Being bullied: I’m sure we all experienced that feeling at some point when we were at school: the dread of the school bullies paying you attention – the fear of humiliation and shame as you coughed back the witty retorts that wouldn’t form properly on your tongue.
I’m sure we all replayed it at home, cursing to ourselves as we rehearsed our reply in the mirror again and again. But what happens when the same happens when WE are the teachers and we are facing the same? What happens if you are being bullied in the workplace?
You are certainly not alone: Workplace bullying is on the rise
Education is rated as one of the top industries with stress and ill health. Although we don’t know the full picture for every single person who has been off work with stress, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to think that bullying in the workplace had something to do with that.
These recent statistics suggest that up to 25% of the people questioned had suffered some form of workplace bullying. You are not alone; this has happened to a lot of us.
How to figure out what constitutes as bullying
You know, I’ve taught this particular topic time and time again. I’ve even broken it down for my students in class recently as ‘something that makes you feel intimidated or offended but targeted and frequent.’
Let’s be honest, teachers are made of tough stuff. We are the epitome of robust. And generally, we are protected. If a student is verbally or physically abusive, more often than not, they are dealt with. So why do we find it so difficult to speak out when it’s another member of staff that is being the aggressor? Or to even recognise it in the first place.
Types of Bullying
From a colleague to your Head Teacher, it doesn’t matter what role they have, they can be capable of being the workplace bully. In terms of your Head Teacher; don’t assume that the role they have should give them the power to make you feel terrorised.
Curt Emails
Curt emails are quite possibly the reason most teachers suffer from Sunday dread, I’m sure. A request to complete a task or for a meeting shouldn’t give the sender the right to be nasty just because you’re not face-to-face.
The passive-aggressive close and the clipped, simple sentences are ways that the workplace bully can get to you without actually doing anything. In fact they can feign innocence.
What should you do?
- Keep a log of all emails back and forth. BCC in someone else too that you trust just to get some perspective.
- Reply back without any sarcasm and ask for confirmation if they are being passive aggressive about something.
Actual Verbal Abuse
Verbal abuse and bullying does not need to include expletives. It can be the use of tone, intonation and the dismissal of your concerns or feelings.
Someone raising their voice at you in any workplace is totally unacceptable but to do it in a school when they’re supposed to be setting an example, is ridiculous.
People get stressed but there needs to be a line when it comes to taking it out on colleagues. You do not go to work to be verbally intimidated whether that be alone or in front of other people.
What should you do?
- Absolutely 100% tell them that you will not be spoken to like a student (though this is unacceptable too) and walk out of their office or the space you are in.
- Do not give in the urge to get physical, as tempting as it is. Do not sit and listen to the abuse you are given.
- Write it all down and date it. You will use this when getting advice from your union if you decide to take it further.
- Be calm. You are talking to a child who is having a tantrum, so walk away.
Being Ignored
The most passive aggressive of them all. This might be in meetings where your ideas are brushed over; it might be stonewalling you in a discussion or it might actually be refusing to acknowledge your being when you pass them in the corridor.
I once had a cover supervisor who had been at my training school for years refuse to look at me in the eye and would repeatedly let the doors slam in my face in the corridors for no reason.
As a timid trainee teacher, I didn’t have the confidence to confront her at the time. Don’t do the same!
What should you do?
- Confront them. Ask what it is that they have a problem with and do it in front of someone else for back up.
- Are they brushing over your idea in a meeting? Speak up and say it again to them directly. You only get what you allow yourself to receive – and if that is being spoken over, it’ll happen again.
Most Importantly…
Your workplace will have procedures to adhere to and it’s so important that you use that support.
Report the bullying to HR and if you have to, file an official complaint.
If they are your line manager this may be difficult but it’s not impossible to come to a resolution. And if it doesn’t? Be prepared to look for employment at another school or somewhere else. Sometimes, it really is best to leave a toxic workplace behind and start afresh.
Speak to your union. That fee that you pay every month should be exploited. They will often have lots of advice and ways to deal with this situation before it becomes formal so that hopefully it can come to an organic resolution.
Have you been bullied in the workplace? Head over to our forum and discuss what strategies you have used. Alternatively, comment below!
The Invisible Teacher has been working in inner-city secondary schools for 12 years across the heart of England.
