On 24th November, I attended the Prince’s Trust Celebrate Success Awards in Birmingham. It is the third year running that I have been there and once again I was overwhelmed by the young people who are trying so hard to better their circumstances and how the Trust is supporting them along the way.

This year more than ever, upon reading the stories of the individual nominees, it really hit me how much BULLIES ruin lives. The damage they do should never be under estimated and it is no less harmful than repeated physical violence.

This led to me do some research on the internet and in doing so I came across some fascinating facts and helpful websites and one particular interesting source is a site by Tim Field Foundation. It contains some really helpful insight into School Bullying, at Home and at Work and the link below helpfully defines a typical workplace bully:

http://bullyonline.org/workbully/serial_introduction.htm

“Constant criticism, nit-picking, no empathy, control freak, denial, charm, glib, compulsive liar, devious, manipulative?”

“Feeling threatened by colleagues with competence, integrity and popularity, he picks one out and projects onto them his own inadequacy and incompetence. Using unwarranted criticism and threats, he controls them and subjugates them, without a thought for the contribution they make to the organisation, or their reputation or self-confidence. Sooner or later this person – the bully’s “target” – realises that they are not being “managed” but “bullied”, and they start to show signs of intolerance. The bully now fears exposure of his own incompetence, and takes steps to disable the target, typically by isolating them and/or destroying their credibility and reputation among peers and decision-makers, putting them out of the picture through dismissal, forced resignation or even early retirement. Once the target has gone, within about two weeks, the bully’s focus turns to someone else and the cycle starts again.”

Bullies destroy everything that is wonderful in a person. Why do they do this? Is it because of the bullies own inadequacies or because they are simply doing what they themselves have been subjected to in the past? Whatever the reason, it is unacceptable and should not be tolerated or excused.

Bullies, whether they are in school, the playground, on the streets, or in the workplace, should STOP, doing what they are doing, make amends and get treatment for their possible illness.

The lives they are ruining is very real and the long term effects, devastating.

I have read some wonderful and insightful articles on LinkedIn about business leadership, employee engagement, workplace development, innovation and much more, but this all feels less important, when contrasted with the fact that in so many workplaces, peoples lives are being harmed severely by bullies, not to mention the impact on the actual businesses.

Leading a business is a privilege and I urge all business leaders to stamp out bullying in the workplace, all staff to stand together against it and let us not be silent witnesses to the daily abuse which is taking place.

If you are being bullied and do not know where to turn to, do not suffer in silence, there is help out there, speak to someone, be it Get Connected , Gov.uk the Samaritans, The Prince’s Trust, Victim Support, a Trade Union; your family and friends or teachers or many of the other organisations who are there to help you.