Bullying has been a hot topic for several years, with many organizations dedicated to stamping out this terrible reality.
The American Psychological Association defines bullying as:
…a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort. Bullying can take the form of physical contact, words, or more subtle actions.
While child bullying at school has been a reality since time began, one place where you wouldn’t expect to see it is on the part of teachers. Rather than the playground, a lot of bullying at schools occur in the faculty lounges, meetings and so forth.
This recent article explains:
Workplace bullying occurs in many forms. The more obvious forms of bullying include overtly abrasive behavior such as yelling, engaging in verbal degradation, and inappropriately invading one’s personal space to intimidate. But not all instances of workplace bullying manifest themselves in such a clear manner. Bullying also occurs through isolation or taking credit for the work of others. Supervisors may engage in bullying behavior by manipulating their subordinates’ ability to do their work, either by imposing unreasonable deadlines or increasing their workload. Supervisors also may bully subordinates through intimidating performance management, such as repeated accusations of undocumented errors or constant criticism on matters unrelated to job performance.
Although an employment lawyer can represent a victim of bullying, 25 states and counting have proposed laws would allow a worker to sue without having to prove discrimination.