THERE IS ALWAYS ONE

INTRODUCTION

"What are the people like at your work?"

Pick an answer from the following replies.

(a) They are a great team. It's great to be working with such an enthusiastic, motivated and happy set of people.

(b) Well, There's always one.

I wish that I could say, that throughout my career, my answer would have been most often (a). Unfortunately, more often than not, it has definitely been (b). Usually followed by a wry smile and a nod that infers...."You know what I mean."

If your answer to this question is (b), then this guide is for you.

Over a number of years, I have closely studied management and management techniques in a retail environment. I am not a psychiatrist nor do I have any qualifications in this area other than my experience.

At the heart of management, there are people. And how those people work together or individually to achieve a profit or reputation for 'The Company' Is the job of 'The Boss'.

It is 'The Company' who have the responsibility of providing policies and procedures to address the growing problem of bullying in the workplace.

It is 'The Boss' who has the responsibility to behave with leadership qualities to ensure bullying does not occur in his business unit.

If 'The Boss' and 'The Company' are working closely and continue to allow bullying to happen then It may be better to work somewhere else. The point of this guide, however, is to empower you to stay in your current role, minimise your stress and highlight to your boss the unacceptable behavior of 'The Bully.'

Apart from this introduction, I have split this guide into three parts. The first part is a rather self-indulgent history of my experiences in retail. With this story, I would like you to see that it has taken me many years to be able to identify bullies. Even longer to act against them. The key here is, if they make you feel stressed or belittled then they are bullying. It is then up to you to define how they are bullying.

Part two covers the behavior and nature of 'The Bully.' So you can identify them.

Part three covers 'The Bullied.' How you can behave to minimise your stress and continue to do your job as well as possible.

As I have already stated, I am not a doctor or a psychiatrist. I do not have a degree. I write simply. I do not want to over-complicate the issue of bullying or indeed, over-simplify.

I have suffered the anxiety of bullying in the workplace. Sometimes it is easier to change jobs rather than fight back against 'The Bully.' Personally, I have changed jobs because of a bully. I wish I had kept fighting, this is a very personal decision. Stress and anxiety can make you ill. Only you can decide the way to relieve you and your families suffering.