In the modern world of work, the culture of a company greatly impacts the psychological and emotional well-being of employees. Sometimes, workplaces turn into a hotspot for bullying and toxic behavior, leading employees to experience chronic anxiety and emotional exhaustion. Workplace bullying and emotional distress impact productivity and mental health, and emotional distress is often overlooked.
The impact of workplace bullying can be emotional and can accrue over time. It can be in the form of verbal abuse, manipulation, exclusion, and actions meant to undermine a person. Such experiences can greatly erode self-worth, emotional health and cause permanent psychological damage. Knowing the emotional impact bullying can have is a critical step in making a workplace culture safer and positive.
Understanding Workplace Bullying
Recognizing workplace bullying can be difficult. It can happen slowly, over time, and can be disguised as “tough management,” “joking,” or “criticism.” The difference between bullying and constructive criticism is persistent mistreatment. Bullying comes in different forms, such as:
- Verbal aggression: Yelling, insults, and belittling comments.
- Social exclusion: Ignoring or isolating someone from group activities or discussions.
- Manipulation: Spreading rumors, withholding information, and undermining a person’s performance.
Professional Sabotage: Setting impossible deadlines or giving pointless assignments can be ways to embarrass or aggravate someone. These actions are time sensitive. Employees may dismiss the actions; however, the emotional distress must be confronted. It can escalate to bullying and undermine someone in a workplace setting
The Emotional Toll of Bullying in a Workplace
The impact of bullying in a workplace setting is the emotional disregard of the person being bullied. Employees being bullied are working in a negative environment, and it can result in a loss of motivation. It can even result in the loss of confidence. Doubts can be raised on the potential of someone in the workplace or the worth of the individual being questioned. The following can result in the loss of self-esteem and overall productivity in the workplace.
- Stress and Anxiety – Chronic victims of bullying can expect mistreatment, and the result will be tension.
- Depression – they can lose all motivation in a work setting, the environment can be hostile, and it can become hopeless.
- Sleep Disturbance – work-related issues can lead to a person thinking too much and lead to insomnia.
- Burnout – they can feel emotionally and mentally drained.
The impact and the negative issues in the workplace can affect productivity and performance in the workplace. It can lead to issues in a personal or social environment. It can impact relationships and self-care.
Why Workplace Bullying Persists?
Workplace bullying tends to flourish in situations where toxic behavior is overlooked or even rewarded. This issue can arise from a lack of proper HR policies, ineffective leadership, or competitive work structures. Employees may be afraid of retaliation or of being branded “difficult,” which allows abusive behavior to go unchecked.
In many organizations, the unhealthy power dynamics make it even more difficult for bullying victims to defend themselves. When the supervisor or manager is the bully, the threat of job loss can be a strong silencer. Unresolved bullying results in high turnover, low morale, and a toxic work culture.
Recognizing the Warning Signs
Knowing the signs of workplace bullying and the associated emotional pain is imperative for effective early intervention. Victims may not always voice their pain, but more often than not, there are glaring signs in their behavior and performance. Here are some to watch for:
- Withdrawal from team interactions
- Decline in productivity or lack of engagement
- Increased absenteeism
- Emotional outbursts or irritability
- Loss of confidence or enthusiasm
It is imperative that the workplace or team members, HR teams, and other employees be watchful. This is critical to preventing long-lasting emotional damage.
Emotional Distress and Mental Health Connections
Emotional distress caused by workplace bullying negatively impacts the brain. Stress system bullying increases, especially chronic bullying, and triggers cortisol release. Stress headaches, high blood pressure, and digestive problems are some potential consequences.
Emotional distress can cause anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Victims internalize experiences and change how they view themselves, their worth, and their identity.
Emotional distress in employees impacts the organization, including interpersonal workplace relationships and harmony, personal productivity, and absenteeism.
Healing and Recovery
Constructive approaches to workplace bullying and emotional distress require both individual and organizational focus. Although victims can take mental health focus steps, real change happens when workplaces create environments of support and respect.
1. Emotional Support
Discussing distressing experiences with a friend, counselor, or therapist is healing. They help with trauma and confidence.
2. Set Clear Boundaries
Try to talk to the person directly, if you can. Tell the person you are having a problem with that they are out of bounds and need to stop. Boundaries are necessary for self-protection.
3. Document Incidents
Should you need to, it’s a good idea to keep a record of the specifics of the bullying, like the dates, times, and who else was there. This information can be helpful should you later choose to report these behaviors to HR or pursue other legal options.
4. Engage in Self-Care
To relieve stress, it is crucial to engage in physical exercises, calm your mind, and eat healthily. Well-deserved and quality rest will aid in recovering your mind.
5. Report and Advocate
Use the appropriate workplace channels and do not shy away from bullying reports. Guide your workplace to adopt comprehensive policies that address bullying, and encourage the establishment of appropriate trainings that promote awareness and respect for employees.
Creating a Supportive Workplace Culture
To prevent workplace bullying, respect and inclusiveness must be the first consideration. Organizations need to understand that emotional safety is as important as physical safety.
This can be achieved with:
- Zero-tolerance policies. Clear rules that define unacceptable behavior.
- Training programs. Educating employees and managers about respectful communication and conflict resolution.
- Open communication channels. Providing the means for employees to voice their concerns without fear.
Compassionate Professional Leadership
The bullying culture attitudes need to be changed with compassion modeled from the leaders of the organization, as employees will feel more experiences of valued, and more personally invested and engaged, which will affect their productivity in a positive manner. Getting the culture of the organization to be one of respect and dignity increases morale.
The Importance of Professional Help
The target of workplace bullying may need more than just workplace support in the form of more counseling. Bullying will cause a person to lose confidence and need counseling to help with the emotional abuse and bullying self-esteem issues. Counseling the target of bullying will also stabilize the emotional pain that bullying abuse has placed on the person.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy, mindfulness practice, and emotional abuse bullying self-esteem recovery by the counselor will facilitate the recovery of confidence. Counseling bullying targets will also help with emotional abuse, self-esteem recovery from bullying abuse, and restore focus and purpose in control.
Self-Confidence Recovery In a Workplace Culture of Bullying Respect
Recovery will take time in a workplace bullying culture that does not respect and value the target. No target will fully recover emotional self-control from the abusive bullying placed on them in one counseling session.
A positive attitude, emotional self-control, recovery, and painful bullying experience acceptance, while positive recovery socialization and self-affirmation of abuse will strengthen the target. This recovery will help bring control that will help restore confidence that will help reclaim focus and purpose in emotional abuse self-esteem and restore self-esteem.
These unfortunate situations of bullying don’t show your worth. It shows the flaws of people who choose to mistreat others.
Mental Health Support at San Jose Mental Health
If you or a loved one is experiencing workplace bullying and the associated emotional distress, San Jose Mental Health can help. San Jose Mental Health comes to you with therapy and is the first step to healing from trauma, anxiety, and workplace bullying. San Jose Mental Health builds confidence, helps you heal from emotional wounds, and develops healthy coping strategies to last a lifetime.
Your healing is possible with the right help and care. It starts once you decide to help yourself and heal from workplace bullying.
