Online bullying doesn't end at school

There's been a lot of talk online recently about online bullying. This has been sparked largely by the Selena Gomez vs Hailey Bieber, a story that spans decades and that, of course, involves two women pitted against each other by the media. The whole history of the situation is too complex to relay here but let’s fast-forward to the current day. It has recently appeared that Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner were partaking in some online bullying, directed at Selena Gomez.

Now we're not talking about high school here. We're talking about adults in their late 20s to early 30s. Sadly, this demonstrates the fact that online bullying doesn't end at school. It can carry on long into adulthood and therefore into the workplace.

A study by the Mental Health Foundation found that 1 in 5 New Zealand employees had experienced bullying in the workplace, with 46% of those incidents involving online or cyberbullying. According to a report by the Human Rights Commission, online bullying is the most common form of bullying in the workplace. If you've been experiencing workplace cyberbullying, it's important you know you're not alone.

Here are a few things you can do if you're experiencing or witnessing bullying in your workplace:

1. Report the incident to HR. Make sure you record the specifics of what has been happening. Keep a log of the days and times things are happening. Take screenshots so you have evidence. If you need to bring in a support person during conversations with HR, you can.
2. If you're part of a small business that doesn't have HR support, try speaking to someone in the business that you trust. Your employer has a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 that includes psychological hazards like online bullying.
3. If you see someone else being bullied in the workplace, speak with them confidentially and offer your support. If they are not confident enough to report the bullying themselves, you can offer to go with them, or to report it for them, if you're comfortable doing that.
4. Remember that your mental health comes first. If you've tried to resolve the situation and you're not getting the support you need from your employer, it may be time to consider moving on. No job is worth your health and happiness.

If you're working full time, you could be spending as many as 40% of your waking hours there. That's a huge chunk of your life! Too much to be unhappy. Despite what you might have been led to believe, online bullying does not end when school does but everybody deserves respect in their workplace. That includes you.