Workplace bullies are real. Apparently, bullying is not one of those things that you can put behind easily like the awkward yearbook photos.

Unfortunately, you might encounter one more bully at your workplace when you become an adult. In fact, it is more common than you think. Many believed that bullying is an action just like sexual harassment — uninvited, unwanted, and undeserved. However, unlike harassment, bullying is not illegal.

With potential side effects like stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, and many more, what looks like a small problem could be highly damaging. To avoid this and be ready ahead, we have broken down a list of how to stop them.

Speak up early on
The bad news is that if you brush off bullying in the early stages, it will likely continue to become worse. Better stop it now than never.

Before you become a long-term target of a bully, one of the best things that you can do is the second somebody mistreats you, you speak up in that very right moment. Several options are suggested with X and Y that represent an action.

You can call out their attention to their values by stating "I know that you really care about everyone's feelings being valued, and when you do X, it undermines the intention. Maybe we could try Y in the future?".

Another way is explaining to them why it is a problem. For example, you can try "I notice you X, and when you do that, it is harder to foster a teamwork environment.

Meanwhile, saying their name a lot can be one of the strategies to ensure that you have the stand ahead of their bullying. You can say "I hear what you are saying, but (name), I need you to stop doing X because it is disrespectful. I treat you with respect and I need you to do the same".

Do your research
Does your company have a bullying policy? If so, try to consider taking your time reading them because it can only strengthen your case if you are able to point out the bully's actions when you decide to make complaints.

At the same time, you can also seek legal advice to confirm whether the situation might qualify as harassment and violate company policy.

Talk to your manager

If you have made some efforts to deal with the situation but have not gotten anywhere, you can either talk to your manager or the company's trusted person who can be anyone. Typically, it is someone who has been long in the company compared to you.

Find someone wise enough to seek their advice or it is possible to ask help from them when things got too out of control. The key here is not to set the bully against anyone but is to assess your specific situation and gauge the relationship within the company.

This also applies the same if you prefer to talk to the human resource department. However, note that once you reach HR, usually they will do something about it. If you observe that it might make things worse, then it is recommended to just stick on the trusted person without causing any formal attention.