B*tchy behaviour, as plenty of us have learnt the hard way, doesn’t just evaporate once we graduate from high school. Offices can be a hotbed of backstabbing and cunning cruelty. In fact, a recent South African study showed that 31,1% of the survey sample confirmed having suffered at the hands of bullies while 50,6% were unaware of any policies to manage violence in their workplace. The Human Rights Commission estimates that this is costing local companies up to a billion per year in decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, staff turnover, legal costs and workers’ compensation. “Most people don’t realise that they’re being bullied or that it may be affecting them, when it actually happens,” says Evelyn Field, psychologist and author of Bully Blocking. “Likewise, most bullies don’t realise they are doing it. Couple this with the fact that most employers don’t understand guidelines nor do they implement them, and herein lies the real problem. Many still believe bullying isn’t something physical which you can prove.”
The victim
Rachel* was only 24 when she started being victimised at work by two women, both in their 40s. She resigned after enduring 18 months of torment, and says she is still recovering from the ordeal. “I started my new job as a community officer at a local council in early 2010,” Rachel says. “I was excited and
