Bullying Is Not Normal

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Anna Marie Schuh
June 19, 2026

Bosses who bully are not a new phenomenon. The Old Testament provides examples of bullying overseers in ancient Egypt. However, the act of bullying, particularly in the government workplace, appears to be back in fashion. The organizational effects of employee bullying are well documented, including poor employee morale and organizational vulnerability to lawsuits. Less frequently discussed is how a bullied employee can cope with a toxic work environment. This column focuses on what employees can do to deal with a workplace bully.

When individuals suspect they are being bullied in the workplace, their first action should be to carefully determine whether those feelings are valid by assessing their current work environment. Bullying typically involves public humiliation, micromanagement and generally setting up an employee for failure. Specific behaviors can include yelling, insults, unreasonable job demands, exclusion from critical meetings and withholding crucial information.

A workplace environment where bullying behaviors are regularly present does not allow affected employees to successfully complete work assignments for two reasons. First, the environment puts employees under constant emotional pressure, which interferes with successful performance. Second, the environment omits necessary tools, such as accurate and timely information and achievable assignments, that are needed for success.

Once employees determine they are in a bullying workplace, there are several strategies they can use to deal with the situation.

The first strategy is to document everything, including dates, times, quotes and witnesses. This information is necessary in two ways. Accurate data is helpful in choosing a successful course of action, and documented examples, such as emails, texts, work assignments, meeting notes and discussions with others about specific incidents, support requests for change or help counter official adverse actions.

The second strategy is to stay calm. Bullying is stressful and emotionally draining. Common reactions such as fighting back or withdrawing are rarely effective. Retaliation often escalates the behavior, while withdrawal can give the bully more opportunities to continue. Instead, employees need to remain emotionally detached and resilient. This helps them avoid becoming overwhelmed and allows them to respond more effectively. Staying composed in an intimidating situation also signals to others that the bully’s behavior is not working.

One way a bullied employee can become resilient is to develop an invincible attitude. This four-step process begins with venting. Venting outside of earshot allows the bullied person a safe space to release built-up frustration. The second step is gaining perspective, which involves understanding the entire situation, including workplace culture, what losing means, what winning means, facing fears and understanding the risks of doing nothing.

The third step is preparing for the worst, which includes expecting a difficult battle and anticipating disappointment with the behavior of others. The final step is committing to seeing the situation through, which includes developing an understanding of the bully’s commitment to the threatening behavior and the likelihood of that behavior becoming self-destructive.

The third strategy for a bullied employee is to make a choice about staying in the position or leaving. This decision involves several factors:

• Does it make sense to stay when 62 percent of bullied employees either voluntarily leave or are forced out of their positions?
• Does the intrinsic reward from the work itself outweigh the negative effects of the harassment?
• What is the current job market like, and how difficult will it be to find an acceptable alternative? Does the bullied employee have salary flexibility, or is the current salary level necessary?
• What is the situation with the bullying supervisor? Is that person nearing retirement? Is the bully likely to overreach, exposing the bully to organizational sanction?
• Does the organization successfully deal with harassment complaints? Forty-eight percent of individuals responding to a survey about workplace bullying indicated that organizational factors, including management history, human resources response and retaliation, explained abusive work environments.

The final strategy is to make a plan. If the plan involves waiting out the bully, it should include two elements: tactics for staying in the abusive environment and preparations for what to do if employment is terminated.

Regarding staying, three approaches are important in dealing with bullying encounters: using a neutral tone to tell the bully to stop (assertive communication), bringing the bully back to the subject at hand (deflection) and walking away (disengagement).

The part of the plan related to termination should include both obtaining future employment and assessing the bullied employee’s financial situation, with a focus on meeting recurring expenses through other income and savings.

The bottom line is for harassed employees to focus on what works best to meet their personal needs and make conscious choices to address those needs. As former President Barack Obama noted, “Bullying is not normal and it is not inevitable.” Targeted employees should keep that thought in mind as they navigate a very difficult work environment.

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Author: Anna Marie Schuh is associate professor emerita at Roosevelt University, Chicago, where she was program director for the MPA and taught political science and public administration for 23 years. She also retired from federal service after 36 years. Her last government assignment involved management of the Office of Personnel Management national oversight program. Email: [email protected]; BlueSky: profschuh.bsky.social.

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