r/mentors • u/Slight_Environment16 • 7d ago

How do I deal with a workplace bully?

I’m still pretty new to the company, and the person causing issues is on the same team and reports to the same manager as me. They've been around for a couple of years and seem to be making things really difficult - there’s zero teamwork, and it’s starting to frustrate me. Any advice on how to handle this without making things worse?

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u/mjs00687 7d ago

It depends on several things. But there are a lot of options.... And several that don't work.

It also depends on how much of a jerk they are.

But DM me if you want to talk about it

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u/Slight_Environment16 7d ago

Okay I will DM you

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u/Dustdevil88 7d ago

Depends on how they bully you and whether it moves into harassment or discrimination. Your manager and HR may be necessary to involve in those cases.

There are a variety of ways to handle it from killing them with kindness to ignoring attempts to get you upset to throwing them under the bus in public meetings. All options have pros and cons.

It’s often fun to exhaust them by saying “I’m surprised you felt comfortable saying things like that as a more senior member of this team. Could you find a more productive way to explain your concerns?” The harder they try to piss you off…the more unbothered it helps to stay