The Comprehensive Guide to "Best Bullying": Deconstructing and Counteracting an Unhealthy Trend

"Best bullying" is an odd phrase to search, but it usually points to one of two real questions: what are the most common tactics bullies use at work, or what's the most effective way to deal with one. Both deserve a straight answer, not vague reassurance.

What people mean by "best bullying" (and why it's the wrong question)

There's no such thing as "good" bullying — the Fair Work Act defines workplace bullying as repeated unreasonable behaviour towards a worker that creates a risk to health and safety, full stop. But the search term usually points to a genuine need: people want to understand the specific tactics being used against them, often because they suspect what's happening but can't quite name it, or because they've been told it's "just how the manager is" and want to know if that's actually true. Naming the tactic is the first step to countering it.

The most common tactics bullies actually use

Related: Workplace Bullying - Best Practices for Documentation and Reporting.

A handful of patterns show up again and again in workplace bullying complaints in Australia:

• Public humiliation — being criticised, mocked, or corrected in front of colleagues rather than privately.
• Exclusion — being left off meetings, email threads, or social events as a deliberate signal.
• Shifting goalposts — being given unclear or constantly changing expectations, then criticised for failing to meet them.
• Withholding information — being denied the resources or information needed to do the job properly, then blamed for the result.
• Excessive scrutiny — being micromanaged or monitored far more closely than colleagues in the same role.
• Undermining credibility — having ideas dismissed, then praised when repeated by someone else.

Why these tactics work — and how to stop them working on you

Each of these tactics works because it's deniable in isolation. One missed meeting invite is an oversight; a pattern of them is exclusion. One piece of blunt feedback is management; weekly public correction is something else entirely. This is exactly why a single incident rarely gets taken seriously on its own, but a documented pattern does — and it's precisely why bullies rely on targets not keeping track.

Counteracting each tactic, one by one

See also: Bullying Documentation Tips Guide: Essential Steps for Workplace Safety.

For public humiliation, calmly ask to take feedback offline ("let's discuss this one-on-one") and note the date and what was said. For exclusion, request in writing to be included, so there's a record of the request and the response. For shifting goalposts, ask for expectations in writing before you start a task, and keep copies of the original instructions. For withheld information, request resources by email rather than in person, so refusals are on record. For excessive scrutiny, ask what standard applies to your peers and whether it's being applied evenly. For undermined credibility, keep your own drafts, timestamps, and version histories so authorship isn't in question.

Building your case as you counteract

Every one of these responses does double duty: it addresses the immediate situation, and it creates a record. That's the real "best" way to deal with bullying — not a clever tactic that shuts the bully down in one move, but a consistent habit of naming the pattern, responding calmly, and writing it down. Bully Log is built for that last part specifically: a running log of dates, incidents, witnesses, and impact, so that when you're ready to raise it with your manager, HR, your union, or the Fair Work Commission, you're presenting a documented pattern rather than a feeling. This article is general information, not legal advice — for guidance on your specific situation, the Fair Work Ombudsman or a union representative can help.