Emotional Abuse at the Workplace

Happy are those people who go to work not because they have to but because they want to. Yes, there are such people and they are not just a few. In fact, for many people going to work is not an unpleasant experience. However, if your job is not rewarding and the company you work for sucks, going to work can be a bit of a nightmare. When you are victim of abuse, this adds another dimension to the problem.

What Is Emotional Abuse at the Workplace?

Emotional abuse is a very subtle matter. In a sense, it is easier when you are victim of physical abuse – you have wounds to prove that you have been mistreated. With emotional abuse the wounds are not easily visible and the damage you have suffered can't be easily proven. Still, emotional abuse at the workplace can seriously hurt you. Only the fact that you are under constant stress (yes, sometimes stress might be useful but it also kills ) is enough to make your life a nightmare.

Emotional abuse takes many forms. It could be in the form of hateful remarks, back stabbing, pranks of all kinds, not telling you the information you must know, ignoring you in other ways, etc. (Well, it needs to be clarified that constructive criticism is neither emotional abuse, nor discrimination but very often the criticism you receive has nothing to do with constructivism or good intentions.) Very often the acts of emotional abuse are difficult to notice and even if you do notice them, there is no way to prove that this has been done on deliberately to you and that you are suffering losses. Yet, when you are a victim of emotional abuse at the workplace, this could have serious impact on you and your health.

Can Emotional Abuse Damage You?

Emotional abuse can do you a lot of harm – from causing discomfort, to causing panic attacks, to high blood pressure and cancer. Emotional abuse can be devastating for your career, too. This is why you shouldn't take it lightly and pretend everything is fine when it isn't.

Emotional abuse at the workplace is often compared to bullying at schools. This is for a reason. The two situations bear a lot of similarities. But there are also many differences. And the best is that very often you do stand a chance to defend yourself against emotional abuse and punish the offenders.

Tolerating Emotional Abuse at the Workplace Is the Way to Keep the Practice Alive

Well, defending yourself against emotional abuse and punishing the offenders is easier to say than do but it doesn't mean you are helpless. There are many ways in which you can successfully deal with emotional abuse or at least spare yourself more trouble.

Similarly to bullies at school, office bullies need a strong hand to put them in place. Office bullies feel powerful because they know they will escape paying for their wrong-doing. It is not easy to deal with office bullies. If you decide to do it you must be prepared for a fight. But if you leave the things as they are, you can be sure that the emotional abuse will only get crueler.

It is also possible that the fight could get you fired but anyway, in such a situation you can't stay there either, so there isn't much to lose. You need to try. You might be able to fire your boss and become a winner.