Workplace bullying, what are my rights?

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I'm in an unfortunate situation at work. Since being threatened to be fired last February, things have progressively gotten worse. Over time, I've become the office whipping boy and have suffered serial humiliation. The environment I work under is oppressive and unbearable. I've been put into stations where I've been set up to fail. I feel like s**t. My self-esteem has dropped faster than the value of a South Beach condo. I have a co-worker that is constantly condescending to me. I'm seriously depressed to the point where I've had to seek therapy.

What are my rights in this situation?

What country do you live in?

Merle

Civil service or private industry?

(Hiya Merle!!)

I am looking for a new job. However the US economy SUCKS. It's going to be months before I find a job. I'll be lucky not to be a total wreck before then.

Here are a couple of sites I found by asking Ask.com about "advice for workplace bullying".

http://career-advice.monster.com/in-the ... ticle.aspx

http://the-bully.com/workplace-bullying.html

I hope they are of use. I know how you feel - I used to be bullied all the time at work, to the point that becoming disabled by illness was actually a blessing.

I wish I had good news for you. In my life, I've never had a "workplace bully" situation work out well for me. Bullies are masters at manipulating others. Are they not the ones who beat up kids in the playground but threaten to call the cops if you strike back at them? Fear and intimidation are their tools.

The accepted strategy is to document everything you can. The question is what to do with it. You can confront the employer with your documentation and/or file a complaint for "hostile work environment" with the EEOC. This would mean if you get terminated, there is a presumption that it was done in retaliation to your complaint about the work conditions. This can certainly help you if you need to get your unemployment benefits if you wind up unemployed.

However, the real issue is what will your boss do. Does he/she want a harmonious environment and is unaware of what is going on? Is he/she the cause of it? Will he/she even care? Is this a product of your AS directly? Does your boss/coworkers know of your condition? Does having AS hamper your ability to deal with the matter (i.e., assertiveness against the bully)?

It's a complex problem, and my experience has taught me to document everything, file complaints if you must but expect retaliation for doing so and start looking for work elsewhere because moving elsewhere is a better solution in many circumstances.

I know the job market is bad. I feel for you.

If it makes you feel any better, when it happened to me, and I was "dismissed" for my own protection (the bully was with another company but my boss knew he could make things really bad for me) I ultimately realized I was better off out of that environment.

I recognized the troubling trend of not having to pay unemployment if someone quits, so instead of firing people they squeeze until the bullied person quits, and then their unemployment taxes don't go up.

And don't kid yourself, bosses don't want to tangle with a bully, either.

Merle

I have been in a similar situation, and I here is what I learned. It is very important to take care of your health so that you can manage your situation. By that I mean, watch your nutrition, get enough sleep, and consider the benefits of exercise as a way to deal with stress. By all means, write in your journal each day, to document your experience.

In my experience, poor communication between my supervising managers caused the bullying. They could not agree on what/how I should do my job. Through writing in your journal, you may see behaviour patterns in others and yourself. This may give you useful information and ways to predict situations before they happen. Consider planning a meeting with your manager, and plan it out in your journal. You can be a better communicator in your meeting because you have planned ahead.

Gather your resources. Update your resume and any useful contacts/references, including colleagues in places you have volunteered at, or from school. Request letters of reference from them for your portfolio. Document your successful projects at your workplace. You may see some benefits to your self esteem when you read about your accomplishments.

I used the Damn Good Resume guide for my skills portfolio. I also read the columnist Susan Pinker in the Globe and Mail (Canada). She has written a lot on workplace bullying, and her advice has helped me greatly.

I am now a contract worker, self-employed, and I sell my work to a couple of former employers. I have control over my work environment and am never included in office politics. While I do have anxious times, and gaps in contracts, I have much less stress becuase I like the people I serve, and I go in, do my work, and go home.

My story is one example of what might happen when you cope and stick it out on a job like that.

I work carpentry for a living. Extremely hard work (lifting 80lb+, breathing in sawdust all the time, splinters, often times dangerous cancer-causing staining chemicals and dirty household cleaning) For me, it's been over a year. I haven't been threatened of being fired but I HAVE been the punching bag for my boss whenever he has a mood swing. Some days he will literally bully me the entire day with little attacks and laughing about me. He even tries to get other workers there to laugh about me... about my stupidity or slowness or forgetfulness or whatever else he finds to pick on. The funny thing is that they don't. They know but accept my odd behavior patterns because they know that i'm friendly and not a nasty coworker and i'm good at what I do. It took me a couple months to learn to adapt and after a while I realized that his attacks were nonsense. I am one of the better workers in that company and I save him hundreds and maybe thousands a year doing a lot of work he would otherwise have to hire-out for. Your moody boss's problems are mostly due to himself. This is a place of business, not a place to take out your anger on people. In the beginning I felt like I was set up to fail too. That is because when you're new, other workers doesn't care much for your longevity at a job. It takes aspies longer than others to get to know the people around them and build trust, but once you do, you will be alright. What helped me feel better about it was applying to other jobs and seeing how many calls I got back. As long as you know there are alternatives out there, you can stand up to your boss and put limits to the abuse. Always stand up to bullies and remember your experience skills and abilities. You can't change a boss, but you can learn how to not be submissive to them all the time.

One work day, after 8 hours of bullying, it's 5 minutes after the end of my shift, and I tell my boss i'm going to lock up and head out. He goes "Whats your rush, what are you watching over the clock again?" At this point I honestly wanted to explode and tell him off. Instead I gathered my faults and simply said my schedule is tight. I work around my work day with you, and I can't afford being late to any engagements.

I walked away pretty pissed off.... what a fkin jerk...