Bullying Support Group
Bullying is the act of intentionally causing harm to others, through verbal harassment, physical assault, or other more subtle methods of coercion such as manipulation. Bullying can be defined in many different ways, but one thing is clear: no one deserves to be bullied. If you or someone you know is coping with bullying, this is the place to share your feelings and get...
I have been working in a warehouse position for about 3 weeks now. About a week into the job I started being bullied. There is a history behind it but it is a lot to go into. I am Hispanic American with a corrected facial deformity working in a primarily African American dominated work environment. They basically make comments about my appearance, intelllgence, personality traits etc. to in front of me only they do not say it to me. They do use my name. They say things like "Oh she knows she's ugly and we're not being mean we're just saying the truth." "We're just trying to talk the truth about her." "We're not bullies. She doesn't say anything . She's the bully." I do defend myself by saying things like " Others do not tell me who I am. They do not tell me how I feel. When I have seen it for myself. No one tells me otherwise." and " No, it is an opinion." They also tend to make comments alluding to someone I worked with in another warehouse job. They make a point to say things about the guy's personal life around me. They were looking at me at times either for a reaction or b/c I refuse discuss this guy's business. At this other place I was working before where as far as I know this guy still works, there were problems there too with bullying. I had to go to an outside agency. It is a select few ppl that r doing this. Most of the individuals are in the group where I work but a few others work in another part not far off from my area. I went to the management today. They did address it and actually had to say something to these individuals more than once in the same day. One guy was in my work station and tried to instigate an argument in an attempt to get me to say something inappropriate. He did get a verbal warning. I have asked to be moved to another area. For now, I will see what happens. I also experience this type of stuff in school but it is not as bad as used to be. I do not feel upset because they hurt my feelings. I feel angry because I am being harrassed/bullied when I have a right to work in peace. I have a right to stable employment. I have the right to earn my degree and make the A's and B's that I know of which I am capable and deserve. Is or has anyone else experienced this kind of harrassment/bullying? How was it handled?
I'd just say anytime someone says or does anything that crosses your boundaries such as make passing remarks about your appearance or intelligence, or denigrate your co-workers, report it right away and, to take it even a step further, maybe even refuse to work in that environment until the problem is handled. If you haven't already I would also get a hold of your company's policy on workplace harassment and show it to management the next time you confront them. If they don't take care if it maybe even go higher up if possible.
Bottom line is you not only have a right to work in a safe environment but you may have to be stern and put your foot down to ensure that you are not exposed to the caustic behaviors of your co-workers. I was also a victim of workplace bullying (my story is here: wbs10.wordpress.com ). Unfortunately I was not proactive and as a result the bullies were never held accountable. I certainly don't want to see anyone else make the same mistakes I did. Good luck with your situation and keep us posted.
I think once I started making healthier life choices and engaging in activities that I loved and excelled at I started to surround myself by more quality people who respected me.
You know I'm not sure why I didn't suggest this last time, but should your situation not improve is it feasible to head for greener pastures. Unless your options are limited it would make no sense to stay, endure abuse, and work so hard only to support a hostile work environment and inept management.
Contact the human resources hear at your company. State that you have a disability, a facial deformity. Explain how you have been subject to repeated comments because of this and request that they take action to address this.
Maintain good records because many lawyers would take this case because upon harassment and hostile work environment, which basically translate to discrimination based upon disability.