If you’re being bullied at work, don’t keep quiet and hope it will go away. There are places you can go to for support
Bullying can take many shapes. Its most well-understood form is physical or verbal abuse. But other, more subtle, forms are far more widespread, and their consequences can be just as devastating. Having your opinions ignored, being given an unmanageable workload, or being set impossible deadlines, can undermine a person’s confidence.
“It’s all about sending a negative message,” says Patrick Nash, chief executive of the Teacher Support Network. “A lot of people don’t think that is bullying, but it is.”
The TES Magazine this week reveals exclusively the results of a survey of more than 500 teachers who have contacted the network for help.
Three-quarters of respondents said their mental health, confidence and self-esteem had been damaged. Sixty five per cent said they had been affected physically. A disturbing 86 per cent said they felt worthless or hopeless. Around a quarter wanted to leave their jobs as soon as possible and another quarter wanted to leave teaching altogether.
But there are steps though, that teachers and schools can take to stop bullying. Heads should make sure that staff feel comfortable asking for help and teachers should learn to spot the symptoms early
Despite every school having an anti-bullying policy and an increased focus on the problem, there is no evidence that bullying is diminishing, Patrick Nash says.
Indeed, while teaching pays lip-service to tackling bullying, he believes it lags behind much of the private sector in putting well-meaning words into action.
Private sector employees are more likely to move if they are unhappy, but teachers are often loyal to their profession, which removes an incentive to improve management practices.
“There’s a real issue in how you manage for performance and that’s not being addressed in schools,” says Patrick. “It is about being positive, using a coaching approach, looking at people’s strengths and building on them – the opposite of marginalising people by ignoring them, withholding information or giving them excessive workloads.”
Alongside this, the pressure produced by endless demands by policymakers results in increasing stress, providing a climate where bullying exists, or is even seen as an acceptable way to get results.
Read more in this week's TES Magazine Special, out Friday May 2
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