Information on the action you can take if you are being bullied at college, university or at work.

There's no denying it, being bullied is horrible.  But there are things you can do about it, and there are people who can help.

Bullying is a negative behaviour that can be physical, verbal or psychological. It can happen at any age, in any environment and isn't just restricted to the school playground. 

What can I do about bullying?

First of all, don’t try and deal with the problem on your own, get help from friends, people at college or work or call a helpline.

Try and put a stop to any sort of bullying behaviour before it gets out of hand. Record the bullying on paper as it can be hard to describe the exact facts from memory.

Talk to an adult you can trust. They can help you make a plan to stop the bullying and it's always good to have someone to talk to if you have a problem. A problem shared is often a problem halved!

Remember that walking away and ignoring the bullies will work as they are trying to get a reaction from you. Try not to let them see you are upset, that is the reaction they want. Keeping away from the bully will also drastically reduce the bullying too, but try not to make it obvious that this is what you are doing. 

What can I do if I am being bullied at college or university?

Colleges and universities have student and staff disciplinary procedures which you can follow if you have been bullied, whether it is by a fellow student or a member of staff. Many also have bullying policies. These should all be on your college or university website.

Student support and/or your student union office are good places to start for help and advice. They will have student counselling services you can access if you need.

To find out more about bullying at college or university you can check out the article from The Anti-Bullying Network.

What can I do if I am being bullied at work?

Employers have a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees, which includes making sure you are not bullied. The bullying may also breach discrimination legislation if it is sexist, racist, homophobic, or about your disability or religion or belief.

The bullying can be covert; such as constant criticism, withholding information, undermining work and decisions or taking responsibility away,or open; humiliating you in front of your colleagues, being sarcastic, ignoring or insulting you or not listening to your ideas).

It can be hard to know what to do about bullying at work, particularly if everyone seems to accept it. Some people are afraid that it will look like they can’t cope with their work if they accuse a manager of bullying. Try and find a colleague who can support you, it may even be another manager who can see what is happening to you.

Find out if your workplace has an anti-bullying policy to help you decide what to do. If there isn’t one, follow the company grievance procedures. Take advice from the human resources department and union representative.

Keep a record of the bullying, including any emails, memos, notes etc. It’s a good idea to go through copies of your job description and any appraisal notes to show what your responsibilities actually are and how your work has been going.

What can I do about online bullying?

It is a criminal offence to make anonymous and/or abusive phone calls and texts. Online abuse can also be a matter for the police, depending on what is said.

1. Keep a record of text messages, emails, message boards and instant messaging (your program often saves what you have written, or you could copy and paste it into a word document). Don’t reply to bullying texts, emails or messages.
2. Contact your mobile and internet service providers to see what they can do to help. If someone makes a website about you or writes bad things about you on another website, you can contact the website host to have it shut down. It’s also a good idea to let the police know. 
3. Change your mobile phone number and be careful who you give it to. Get yourself a new email address and instant messenger profile. It’s a bit of a pain but it will help. It’s quite easy to block someone from being able to contact you on instant messenger, have a look under ‘Help’ on the program you use. You can also sometimes block people from being able to email you or call you on your mobile. Again, check under ‘Help’ on your email program and have a look through your phone handbook.

For more information on what you can do about online bullying visit our article.