The role of power in bullying and harassment
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The role of power in bullying and harassment

On Behalf of | Dec 14, 2021 | Discrimination

Unfortunately, bullying doesn’t stop when you graduate from high school. It certainly extends to the workplace, and many people have experienced having a co-worker, a supervisor or even an employer act like a bully to them on the job.

This can also take the form of harassment. For instance, the bully might focus on one factor that singles you out from the rest of the group. Maybe you’re a different religion than most of the workers or a different race. Maybe you’re one of the few female workers in a workplace where most of the employees are male. This type of harassment and bullying can really take a toll on your emotional health and can hinder your career.

Someone in a position of power

Many times, the bully is a person who is already in a position of power. It could be your supervisor in your department, who tends to push around the people under them. They use their position of power to make this harassment possible, counting on the fact that those who work for them will be afraid of losing their jobs and will not say anything or will not push back.

Bullying can also be about making someone feel like they are in power. They may feel like harassing those around them can help them climb the corporate ladder. They may already be in power and simply seek to enhance that position and their own career.

What can you do?

You know that bullying feels unfair, and many types of harassment are categorically illegal. It is very important for you to know about all the legal steps you can take if this happens to you.