Workplace Bullying - Tips and Strategies for Handling It

The moment it's happening — the comment in the meeting, the message that makes your stomach drop — is the hardest time to think clearly. Having a plan for what to actually do in that moment, and in the hours after, makes a real difference.

In the moment: stay factual, not reactive

If it's safe to respond, a calm, neutral line is usually more effective than a heated one: "That comment wasn't okay" or "Can we discuss this professionally?" keeps the focus on the behaviour without giving the other person a reaction to redirect the conversation toward. You don't owe anyone a witty comeback or an immediate resolution — buying yourself time with "I'll come back to this" is a completely valid response. If the situation feels unsafe or the power imbalance makes direct pushback risky, it is entirely reasonable to say nothing in the moment and address it afterward instead.

Straight after: write it down before anything else

Related: Workplace Bullying - Complete Guide.

As soon as you can — at your desk, in the bathroom, on the train home — write down what just happened while it's fresh: the time, what was said (as close to word-for-word as you can), who else was in the room, and how you're feeling. This isn't about building a legal case yet; it's about capturing an accurate account before your memory smooths over the sharp edges, which happens to everyone within hours, not weeks.

Deciding whether to raise it directly with the person

Sometimes a short, calm conversation resolves things: "When you said X in the meeting, it undermined me in front of the team — I'd appreciate it if that didn't happen again." This works best when there isn't a significant power imbalance and you feel genuinely safe doing it. It does not work, and shouldn't be expected of you, if the person has been aggressive, if they're your manager and you fear retaliation, or if previous attempts have made things worse. There is no rule that says you must confront someone before you're allowed to report their behaviour — going straight to your manager or HR is always a legitimate option.

Handling it when the bully is your manager

See also: Workplace Bullying - Tips and Strategies for Documentation and Reporting.

This is one of the hardest versions of the problem, because the usual first step — "raise it with your manager" — isn't available. In this case, go to your manager's manager, or directly to HR, and be specific about wanting the matter handled independently of the person involved. Bring your written record. If your workplace has an anonymous reporting channel or a designated HR business partner, that can also be a safer starting point. A union representative, if you have one, can attend meetings with you and help you navigate the power dynamic.

Handling repeated low-level behaviour

Not all bullying looks like a shouting match. Being left off emails, having your work quietly redone without discussion, or being excluded from meetings you should be part of can be just as damaging, and just as much a pattern worth documenting. Because these behaviours are individually easy to dismiss ("maybe it was an oversight"), the log matters even more here — three "oversights" in a month starts to look very different from one. Under Australian workplace law, it's the repetition that turns unreasonable behaviour into bullying, so tracking frequency is part of how you handle this type of situation.

Handling it as a witness, not the target

If you've seen a colleague being bullied, you can support them without putting yourself in the middle of a confrontation. Check in with them privately afterward, offer to be named as a witness if they raise a complaint, and write your own brief note of what you saw and when — your account can carry real weight precisely because you're not the person directly affected. Keeping a simple log, such as with Bully Log, makes it easy to record what you witnessed accurately and hand it over if it's ever needed.

When it's time to escalate beyond the day-to-day

If the behaviour continues despite your best handling of individual incidents, it's time to move from managing each moment to formally reporting the pattern — to HR, your union, or, if you're still employed and the risk is ongoing, the Fair Work Commission's stop-bullying jurisdiction. Your accumulated log is what makes that step possible; a clear, dated record built incident by incident, in the way described above, is exactly what a formal process will ask you for.

This is general information, not legal advice. Every workplace and situation is different, and the Fair Work Ombudsman, your union, or an employment lawyer can help tailor this to yours — but handling each incident calmly and recording it accurately as you go gives you real options later, rather than a blur of memories to untangle.