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How to Spot Bullying on Your Team – Know the Signs of a Bully at Work · Enhance.training

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Knowing how to spot bullying on your team as a manager is super useful.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Bullying is very damaging to team motivation and performance.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Bullying is very tough on those on the receiving end of being bullied.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Not doing anything about bullying through ignorance or not knowing what to do or being unwilling to act is very damaging to your reputation and standing as a manager.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Per a career builder survey, 30% of workers have been bullied, so bullying remains a very real problem.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Putting yourself in a position to spot bullying on your team is not as easy as we hope it is.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: I am taking you through firstly why the impact of bullying matters to you.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, six signs of employees being bullied.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: Third, five types of not so subtle bullying, and then fourth, twelve types of subtle or covert bullying.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Covert or subtle bullying is more common than overt bullying in the workplace because, firstly, covert bullying is easier to hide and harder to spot.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, covert bullying is much harder to prove by managers or HR, and then third, bullies are more likely to get away with it.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: At the end of the podcast, after identifying workplace bullying, I have some tips on how to tackle bullying at work.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Jess Coles and I've had a 25-year management career in corporate and household names such as Innocent Drinks, Fosters, EY and Peer Consulting, all the way through to SMEs.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: From professional level through to board director level.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: I've been on the receiving end of bullying behaviour at work several times, and I've been slower than I wanted to be in spotting bullying behaviour on my team.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: As more managers get better at spotting the signs of a bully at work and learning what to do, the quicker we can all reduce bullying at work.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: If you're new to this podcast, Enhanced.training shares business and people management expertise to help you improve your performance and that of your team and business.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: And do visit us at enhance.training and take a look at the courses and resources for you to improve your management skills and the outcome your team delivers.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: So bullying is repeated behaviour that is meant to hurt and control another person.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: We all make mistakes and say or do dumb or insensitive things at times.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Bullies repeat behavior they know hurts or controls others again and again over time.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: That is quite different from making one-off mistakes.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about why the impacts of bullying at work matter to you.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Bullying in the workplace increases the risk of negative mental and physical health issues for both the victims of bullying as well as their colleagues.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Team members that are being bullied at work don't perform at their best.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: They may have periods unable to concentrate on their work.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: They suffer from loss of self-esteem and confidence.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: They have more trouble making decisions and they will have lower productivity.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: Bad for them and bad for you as a manager of the team they are in.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: Bullied employees lose time as well as motivation.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: They will spend a lot of time avoiding the bully or situations which might lead to bullying.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: They spend time trying to mentally deal with the situation they find themselves in.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: And they spend time networking to gain support and they spend time trying to defend themselves against bullying in the workplace.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: The loss of energy and focus on doing a good job can be significant.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: In addition to the impact on the person being bullied, colleagues who witness bullying are also impacted with lower motivation and fear that the working environment is hostile.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: Teams experiencing bullying within them suffer greater absenteeism and reduce productivity.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: Staff turnover is likely to be higher, leading to greater costs to recruit and train staff.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: And finally, you have the impact of potentially costly and embarrassing legal action for the business.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: None of these impacts from bullying is going to help you, the team, or the business.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Bullying is a very costly set of behaviors to ignore for everyone concerned.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: As a result, managers should constantly keep an eye out for bullying behavior and stop it as quickly as possible.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: And when thinking about how to spot bullying as a manager, look out for these six signs of employees being bullied.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: The individuals being bullied often but not always display a change in behaviour.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: If your team members show any of these signs of a bully at work, start investigating their change in behaviour.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: So firstly, looking increasingly anxious, agitated or withdrawn.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, complaining about not sleeping or starting to suffer headaches or stomach problems.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: And third, having an increased absence from work, you know, through sick days, etc.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: And fourth, showing signs of distress at work or not being comfortable in the office, you know, such as confusion, frustration, fear, or uncharacteristic overt emotional displays.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, a previously good employee has a noticeable drop in performance.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: And then sixth, the employer might be avoiding you, their manager, because they fear that you'll spot their drop in performance and start asking questions about that.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: How to spot bullying on your team is not easy as these changes may happen quite gradually over weeks or longer.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: Be persistent and empathetic when asking questions.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: Bullying is only one possible reason that the individual is displaying these behaviours.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Keep a much closer eye on any individual displaying any of these signs and pay particular attention to how they are interacting with each of the other team members.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Pay attention to their body language and behaviour.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: Keep asking questions of the person and other team members until you understand what is happening and the events and actions you are seeing align with what you're being told.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: Don't stop asking questions or trying to find out until these signs disappear or you know bullying or other issues are taking place.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: When considering how to spot bullying on your team, here are five signs of overt bullying to watch out for.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, physical intimidation, which I think is rare in professional workplaces in my experience.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: If physical intimidation did occur and anybody witnessed it, the bully should find themselves in a disciplinary process fairly quickly.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: Physical bullying can also include damage to your property or bullies going through your desk or bag for instance.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, aggressive behaviour towards the team member being bullied, such as shouting or aggressive and angry tones of voice, and aggressive use of body language to intimidate, without physically threatening others.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: Third, using unreasonable public criticism to put the person being bullied down, undermine their confidence and hurt them.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: This could include falsely accusing a person of mistakes or attributing blame incorrectly to the person being bullied.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: And fourth, using offensive language to shock, upset or intimidate the target of bullying.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: And then fifth, humiliating the person being bullied, you know, socially or professionally.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: This could be through excessive teasing, criticism, always bringing up mistakes made, or sharing any embarrassing incidences from in or outside of work, and any other actions to publicly put the person being bullied down.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: Most bullying in the workplace is subtle or convert in nature.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: The group most likely to engage in more overt bullying are managers.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: It is unfortunately easier for managers to bully overtly and get away with it because of their increased influence within a business.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: Keep an eye out for other managers using bullying tactics on your team members and take action to protect them and bring the bullying behaviour to light.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: Identifying workplace bullying is usually a lot harder because bullies tend to use tactics that are a lot harder to spot and prove that they are taking place.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: When considering how to spot bullying on your team, here are 12 signs of more subtle or covert bullying behaviours to watch out for.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, ignoring, forgetting to invite the team member that they are bullying to meetings, or not including them in emails, or not talking to them, or all the other ways to cut a person out of team life.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, isolating or excluding the staff member that they are bullying, usually making them feel physically or socially excluded from the group.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: This could be moving them to a desk further away from the group or trying to influence other team members to spend less time with the person being bullied or not inviting them to social events.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: Thirdly, taking credit for ideas or work undertaken by the person being bullied.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: This tactic improves the bully's own standing while putting down the person they are trying to target.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: And this tactic also creates a lot of frustration and resentment while eroding the person's confidence.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, setting impossible targets or deadlines, which the victim will not be able to deliver against and then using that failure to put the individual down.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: This can crush the confidence and resistance of the person being bullied.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, withholding important information or giving wrong or incorrect information to the person they are bullying, so that the work they do is impacted and the number of mistakes increased, etc.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: And this also gives a bully more ammunition for criticising and taking other actions.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: All actions to put down an individual and reduce the target's influence within the group.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: Then seventh, undermining either the work and or the reputation of the person being bullied.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: Examples include being overly critical, or highlighting any mistakes while ignoring the good parts, or downplaying the importance of the work done, or providing unfair and unbalanced feedback to peers or more senior management.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: All these are ways of undermining the person being bullied.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Eighth, denying training, promotion or good development opportunities to the team member that they are bullying.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: These actions slow or stop the career progress of the person being bullied and help assert control over the person being bullied.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: 9.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: Constantly changing expectations or being purposely inconsistent with actions and decisions relating to the person they're bullying.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: These actions make it very hard for the person being bullied to deliver to expectations and look good to managers and their peers.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: 10th, favoritism, treating most people in one way and then treating the person they're bullying in a different, more negative way.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: This behaviour also reinforces the sense of isolation that many people being bullied feel.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: 11th, removing work or duties or responsibilities from the person they are bullying.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: This reduces the value the person is able to add to the business and it reduces their sense of satisfaction and self-worth.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: 12.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: Undertaking micromanagement, which can be used as a bullying tactic when the individual is doing their task perfectly well.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: Imposing a micromanagement style takes away the individual's responsibility and autonomy and exerts fairly direct control by the bully over the individual.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: Subtle or covert bullying is much more common as it is harder to detect and take action against.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: As you may have guessed, managers are able to undertake many of the covert actions of bullying much more easily than colleagues.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: Keep a close eye on the managers in your team.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: Does their team look and act happy and motivated?
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: Do they seem fearful and hesitant?
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: How does a manager speak about their team?
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: Keep a closer eye on those in your team in positions of responsibility and power.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: Here are the top five ways employees have experienced bullying per a career builder survey.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: Forty-five per falsely been accused of making mistakes.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: Forty-two per comments ignored, dismissed, or not acknowledged.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: 37% have been constantly criticized by managers or colleagues.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: Look out for our podcast on how to tackle bullying behaviour as a manager when you spot bullying behaviour or are told of bullying behaviour taking place.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: We will also include what you can do if your manager is the bully.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: So in summary, it is very important as a manager to take action quickly when you spot signs of a bully at work, or investigate if you are told that bullying might be taking place.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: Bullying is one of the worst examples of poor and unacceptable behavior in the workplace, and it is very destructive to team motivation and performance.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: As a manager, if you don't take action when you should have, you will lose the trust of many of your team members and your manager when your lack of action comes to light.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: Work out how to spot bullying in the workplace and then take action when you suspect bullying is happening.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: You're in the best place to do both.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: And there is a lot you can do as a manager to take action against a bully and to communicate to everyone that bullying behaviour in all its forms is not acceptable.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: Escalating steps to take might include firstly, start by having an informal conversation to tell the bully to stop.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, you could put them on an informal performance improvement plan.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: Third, you could put them on a formal performance improvement plan, and then fourth, you could start a disciplinary process with the bully.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: All of these steps are communicating to the bully that their behaviour is not acceptable.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: And where you start on this scale depends on the situation, you know how severe the bullying has been, how long it's been going on for, and the impacts of the bullying.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: The quicker you swap bullying on your team and take action, the less damage will be done to the individuals concerned, the team's motivation, to your reputation and to the business overall.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: Make time to identify workplace bullying and quickly investigate the causes of any signs of a bully at work.training and I'll get back to you.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, and I look forward to speaking to you again soon.