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Employees across the globe report incidences of workplace harassment and the after effects they face due to it. The workplace bullying news is a permanent feature of the digital and print media. The news may surely have given you a good idea of the working conditions. You must remember that you are not the only one facing the impudence of some colleagues or boss. Studies have indicated that individuals who have the desirable qualities of competence, networking and knowledge tend to be the easy targets. These characteristics threaten the bully and he starts working towards reducing the performance and self esteem of the target.

A bully boss can snatch away the happiness from your life and throw you into the well of depression. It can make a negative impact on your health and wellness. Those who have ever been subjected to this condition will easily understand how traumatic the condition can be. Most of the people get depressed, start showing up late at work and thus in the end give more opportunity to the boss to harass them for one reason or the other. Studies have indicated that while most of the men resort to taking longer breaks away from work and spurious sick days, a woman starts working harder to prove that she is competent enough at the work front. The biggest damage in the entire process is the mounting stress level that makes life worse for many. A study done by a prominent employment website in 2012 indicates that 35% felt bullied at their workplace. The percentage has gone up by 27% from the last year and is a clear indication about the worsening situation.

The increasing issues of bullying are heightened by the health and safety concerns of employees. As per the study, around 16% of the workers stated that constant harassment led to the health related complications. The situation of the other 17% was so bad that they had to ultimately quit their job. The bully story indicated that the harassment was done by the immediate supervisor in 48% and co-worker in 45% cases. Age too has been a factor and 54% people who harassed the employee were older than them. Only 29% stated that the bully was younger to them. There can be multiple forms of harassment ranging from blaming the victim for the crime they have not committed to using the double standards at work. Many people also reported that there was absolutely no acknowledgement of their hard work.

Unfortunately, most of the people surrender to the constant harassment and start leading a stressful life in a hostile work environment. This is not the right approach as it can make a negative impact on your health and personal life. In such a situation, you must begin towards regaining your self confidence and working towards better results. This will ultimately break the confidence of your harasser. It is time to show your mettle and excel on the work front. A little more confidence, diligence and perseverance will pay off in the long run.

Kellie Bajada is the author of this article on health and safety.