Workplace Bullying - Tips and Strategies to Stay Safe

Staying safe when you're being bullied at work isn't just about winning a complaint — it's about protecting your health, your income, and your sense of self while you get through it. That takes a different kind of strategy than documentation alone.

Protect your mental and physical health first

Workplace bullying is a recognised psychosocial hazard under Australian work health and safety law, and it takes a real toll — disrupted sleep, anxiety, and physical symptoms like headaches or stomach issues are common, not a sign of weakness. Treat your wellbeing as a legitimate priority alongside anything else you're doing. See your GP if symptoms are building, and use your employer's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for confidential counselling — most Australian workplaces offer this at no cost, and you don't need a diagnosis to access it.

Build a support network before you need it

Related: Workplace Bullying - Essential Steps for Documentation and Reporting.

Isolation is one of the ways bullying does the most damage, so don't carry it alone. Tell a trusted colleague, friend, or family member what's happening in plain terms — you don't need to have a plan yet, just someone who knows. If you're in a union, join or contact your delegate; union support is often free, confidential, and available well before things become formal. Having people who know your situation also means you have witnesses to how the bullying is affecting you over time, which can matter later.

Set boundaries without escalating risk to yourself

Where it's safe to do so, calm, factual boundary-setting can sometimes reduce the behaviour: "I need you to speak to me the way you'd speak to anyone else in this meeting" is a reasonable, professional statement. But your safety comes first — if the person has shown volatility, if there's a power imbalance that makes direct pushback risky, or if you simply don't feel safe, it's entirely reasonable to skip this step and go straight to documenting and reporting instead. There's no obligation to confront a bully directly before you're allowed to raise a complaint.

Keep a record as your own form of protection

See also: Bullying Documentation Tips Requirements: Your Guide to Workplace Safety.

A written log isn't just paperwork — it's a safety strategy in itself. Note the date, time, what was said or done, who was there, and how it affected you, as close to the moment as possible. This gives you an accurate account to lean on when stress makes it hard to trust your own memory of events, and it gives anyone supporting you — a manager, HR, a union rep — something concrete to act on rather than a vague sense that something is wrong. Keeping every entry in one place, such as with Bully Log, also means you're not carrying the mental load of trying to remember everything yourself; the record does that job for you.

Know your exit points, not just your entry points

Staying safe sometimes means knowing what your options are if the situation doesn't improve — not because you have to use them, but because knowing they exist reduces the feeling of being trapped. That might mean understanding your rights around requesting a change of team or reporting line, knowing that you can apply to the Fair Work Commission for a stop-bullying order while you're still employed, or simply knowing what your notice period and entitlements would look like if you ultimately decided to leave. None of this means giving up — it means you're making decisions from a position of information rather than panic.

Use the formal systems designed to protect you

Australian workplaces have real structures in place for exactly this situation. Your employer has a legal duty of care under work health and safety laws to manage psychosocial risks, including bullying — raising the issue formally is not an overreaction, it's using the system as intended. The Fair Work Ombudsman can advise on your workplace rights, your state's SafeWork regulator handles work health and safety concerns, and the Fair Work Commission's stop-bullying jurisdiction exists specifically to address ongoing bullying for current employees. None of these require you to have already resolved things yourself first.

This is general information, not legal advice — if you're feeling at risk or unsure what to do next, a union representative, the Fair Work Ombudsman, or a GP or counsellor can help you figure out the safest path forward for your specific situation. Staying safe starts with taking what's happening seriously, and a clear, dated record of it is one of the simplest ways to do that.