Workplace bullying has very sadly become the scourge of our troubled times. Bullying, which was once confined to the schoolyard or local neighbourhood has now transcended into the workplace.

Bullying at work involves various factors, such as extreme verbal abuse either from one’s employer or from fellow employees, ridicule and jeering sexual harassment and in some cases even physical abuse. The reasons for bullying in the workplace are varied as well. Persons are harassed because they may be shy, quiet or keep to themselves, or they may ridiculed because they are different-looking and different-acting. Or it may be because of their political or religious views as well as because of their nationality, race, sex, sexual orientation or other factors.

Bullying in the workplace, like childhood bullying, seeks to use persistently aggressive and abusive attitudes and behaviours to control and subdue others, either against a fellow worker or a superior against their subordinate. Workplace bullying can be more difficult to deal with than schoolyard bullying because unlike school bullying, which is open and obvious, workplace bullying is done within the established confines of company rules and policies.