Dealing with the office bully can be a very difficult and stressful situation especially if the bully happens to be your supervisor. Here are a few thoughts:
- Maintain very clear professional boundaries for you. Maintain your self respect and do not acquiesce to demands made in a bullying fashion clearly state your need to be communicated with in a professional manner.
- Develop a list of "one-liner" responses to bullying comments that you rehearse for yourself. By "one-liner" I mean a clear short statement that clearly shows up the nature of the bully's request. Avoid sarcasm and personal jabs at the bully your goal should be to reinforce your boundaries.
- Document every interaction done in a bullying fashion. Keep emails and voice mails and make notes of personal interactions that are distressing so that you can recall them later include dates, times, and possible witnesses.
- If the bully does not change his behavior in response to your boundaries then you might want to consult with your human resources or employee relations department. This is where your documentation will be useful.
Ultimately, if nothing changes and your organization takes no action to address the bullying behavior you have to question the health of the organizational culture. Then the decision becomes one of respecting your own boundaries and well being, which means it may be time to consider finding a new position. I hope these suggestions are helpful in managing a very challenging situation.
