Bullying is not just a playground activity...

It is a very important week – It is Anti-Bullying Week

When you mention bullying, many would immediately think it is something that children have to worry about; however, bullying affects teenagers, university students, and adults in the home and in the workplace as well as on our digital screens.

LinkedIn, where you are reading this article, is regarded as the professional networking tool used by millions of professionals around the world to network, collaborate and share information. You would think it a million miles away from a school playground and bullying…

In today’s world of mobile phones and digital communications, children and teenagers are tormented and abused online through faceless social media channels and instant messaging apps. One imagines such bullying and intimidating behaviour is contained to the youth, but that is sadly not the case. Adults can be targeted on professional mediums like LinkedIn.

If you cannot be kind… be quiet

Bullying did not die or fade away after leaving school, bullies have physically and physiologically abused their partners in adult relationships, they have encroached on the professional environment, in the offices and places of work.

These bullying characters don’t just have to be physically or mentally challenging and dominating in homes or places of work. They are ever-present on professional platforms like LinkedIn, they like nothing more than to type their poisonous and venomous diatribe typed from a computer screen. They belittle, pick holes, embarrass, and bully individuals and businesses. They cannot help themselves to take pot-shots and underhand jibes at the expense of others. It seems they must find small inconsistencies, errors, or simple mistakes to jump on and then post, highlight, laughing and mocking and trying to gather a gang of like-minded followers to do the same… in the mistaken belief that a bigger audience for this awful example of human nature is a good thing...?

In order for you to insult me, I would first have to value your opinion…

Not content to undertake this bullying alone, they groom sidekicks, followers, and cronies, who do not realise until it is too late that they are now part of this insidious activity, condoning the bullying by their very presence or relationship with them. Too afraid to face the wrath of the bully’s poisonous forked tongue, they prefer to cower and play patsy. Too scared to leave and upset the bully in case they become the next target of their bitterness and spite.

Bullies pretend to spout and demonstrate the truth from their high and mighty pedestals, with their narcissistic monologuing, defending the moral high ground, pretending it is for the good of others to highlight what in many cases is irrelevant trivia but are built into extensive rants, diatribes and vindictive posts that belittle, embarrass or intimidate. Many of us will simply ignore these horrible posts, awful messages and nasty actions, but we must feel for the poor people who have been unfairly targeted and take all this to heart.

If people are trying to bring you down… Remember this means you are above them

I presume and hope that narcissistic bullies like this are seen by many as what they are, just immature playground bullies that never grew up. We have to wonder why people have to do this, maybe they have nothing in life except lots of free time and no one to share it with. Difficult to make friends they prefer to be loners, insecure, their only strength the use of the English language. Maybe they were victims of bullying at school and are now seeking their misguided revenge. Maybe they undertake bullying out of jealousy, maybe they cannot accept people disagreeing with their ideas, maybe they do not like competition or threats to their domain or environment, maybe their ego has skewed rational thinking, maybe their arrogance blocks all sense of empathy, maybe their misplaced self-importance has blinded them from professional conduct. Maybe we are just being too kind, to find a valid and justifiable reason for this horrible behaviour, there is no valid or justifiable excuse - they are just downright bullies.

I have closely experienced and witnessed the effect of such insidious behaviour to my partner, I have seen this occur to close friends, the impact on mental and physical health, decay of self-confidence, heightened anxiety and the unnecessary stress bullying can bring in adulthood and in a professional environment is debilitating. No one wishes to see loved ones, friends or colleagues experience such an awful time from bullying.

If we all ignore them maybe the bullies will disappear, what we should not do is like their posts, agree with their barbed comments or praise their venomous articles, support their underhand messages that seek to pick holes and belittle people. All we are doing is joining and condoning the bullying.

This year has been unique, many offices and workplaces have closed due to Covid-19 restrictions with employees working remotely, the opportunity for bullying to continue or even increase has been amplified. Remote working on the end of a laptop screen, behind a web camera, on the end of an email, instant message or VOIP chat, on social media channels like professional tools as LinkedIn allows bullying to continue or flourish, unidentified or noticed by work colleagues. The victims may suffer their abuse in silence, unsupported and alone.

No one has ever made himself great by showing how small someone else is….

Next time you come across a bully on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or any other social and digital medium do what is right, ignore, unfollow, and reject. Next time you see what clearly is a bullying post, article or comment, think what if that was directed at you, your friend, your loved ones, your colleague?

Do not flame the fire of this insidious behaviour extinguish it with silence and positive action.

Narcissistic monologuing bullies are not needed in your professional life, in your personal life, on social media, in the office, in a company, in any organisation, in fact, they are not needed anywhere. Full stop.

Remember, something that urges on confrontational, bullying or churlish behaviour, pause, think about the consequences of your own possible actions.

The Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) is a coalition of organisations and individuals that are united against bullying. ABA are official organisers of Anti-Bullying Week. Anti-Bullying Week 2020 is taking place from Monday 16th November - Friday 20th November 2020

To learn more about how you can help tackle bullying, visit

https://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week/anti-bullying-week-2020-united-against-bullying

Other amazing organisations supporting victims and bringing awareness of bullying in schools, online and in the workplace.

·       https://www.standupfoundation-uk.org/

·       https://www.nationalbullyinghelpline.co.uk/

·       https://bulliesout.com/

·      https://www.kidscape.org.uk/

·       https://www.bullying.co.uk

·       https://www.ncb.org.uk/about-us/our-specialist-networks/anti-bullying-alliance

·       https://www.stompoutbullying.org/

·       https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/discrimination-at-work/checking-if-its-discrimination/if-youre-being-harassed-or-bullied-at-work/

·       https://www.acas.org.uk/if-youre-treated-unfairly-at-work/being-bullied

There are also a number of LinkedIn Training programmes as part of LinkedIn Learning

·       https://www.dhirubhai.net/learning/what-to-do-when-you-are-bullied-at-work/welcome

·       https://www.dhirubhai.net/learning/bystander-training-from-bystander-to-upstander/the-power-of-standing-up

·       https://www.dhirubhai.net/learning/handling-workplace-bullying/solving-workplace-bullying

·       LinkedIn also have somewhere where you can inform them of harassment

https://www.dhirubhai.net/help/linkedin/answer/42605/harassment-or-safety-concern?lang=en

This list is not exhaustive, there are many more such organisations (charitable, voluntary) around the world supporting children, teenagers and adults against bullying.