Have you ever experienced or been experiencing bullying in the workplace?
If I were only a high school student, I might not have believed you.We grow up thinking that once people leave school, they suddenly outgrow immaturity.
That once a person enters a workplace, professionalism replaces intimidation and power plays. But unfortunately, they don’t.
The Bullying We Don’t See
Unlike what we see in Korean dramas, where the bully pours a glass of water on the victim, bullying in the workplace happens unnoticed. They happen so subtly until they get normalized.
It’s there when you are deliberately excluded from meetings or decision-making.
It’s there when your work is undermined, not as feedback but to slowly erode your confidence.
It’s there when you receive threats to job security.
They’re not always physical.
They happen verbally and psychologically, and they are harder to prove because there are no bruises to photograph, no clear evidence to present.
You only have your words, and you know that they can easily twist your story, so you choose to stay silent.
Yet, you dread even before the workday begins until you start asking whether the problem lies within yourself.
These situations have been so frequent that they have inspired a stronger institutional response.
Last night, news reported that Rep. Eli San Fernando filed the Workplace Bullying Prevention Bill, or House Bill no. 7221.
This acknowledges that dignity, mental well-being, and psychological safety are not optional perks of employment but fundamental rights.
In the Mind of a Bully and Why You Shouldn’t Stay Silent
At its core, bullying is about power.The bully seeks dominance by asserting control over you and putting you in a submissive position.
You stay silent because in professional environments, silence is frequently mistaken for professionalism.
But the moment you let it slip, you only motivated the bully to repeat the behavior because there are no consequences.
Psychology found that people bully because of their past traumas, insecurities, or learned behaviors.
But that’s their responsibility to fix; let’s talk more about you.
How You Can Stand Up For Yourself
A bully doesn’t stop; it pushes and pushes and pushes until you yourself put an end to it. So if it’s still possible, strike back at their first attempt.
But be as polite and as respectful as you can be. Not that the bully deserves your politeness, but because you want to avoid them twisting what happened.
But if it has happened for so long, document the pattern and gather as much evidence as you can and bring it to your HR.
At home, the bullying incidents might still haunt you. You may doubt yourself and start believing that you deserve the treatment.
You may also look for ways to please the bully so it won’t attack you anymore. It’s very important, during this time, to not internalize their behavior.
Like a saying says, no happy and sane person goes around making people feel bad.
And if you won’t stand up for yourself, who will?
No workplace should feel like a battlefield. And no one should have to shrink just to survive.
You cannot change abusive people, but you can refuse their abuse.
