How can employees fight back?

CrossCurrents

While employees may be waiting for their companies to establish anti-bullying policies, here are some empowering strategies:

Look within your organization for related policies. "There may be a policy that could be connected to bullying," says Glenn French, president and CEO of the Toronto-based Canadian Initiative on Workplace Violence. "Most places have harassment policies that may address the behaviour you're experiencing."
If there's absolutely no code or policy within your organization to support you, French suggests looking at the Canadian Human Rights Act. "People quite often might be bullied because of race or sex or age," he says. "If the behaviour violates the Act, that's another avenue you might take."
Examine the behaviour. "I help clients identify the bully's patterns and identify what they do in response to that bully," says Marje Burdine, a workplace consultant and founder of the Centre for Conflict Resolution at the Justice Institute of B.C in Vancouver. "Often it's very defensive behaviour, and when you respond defensively to someone, they know they've got you. You can change your part in the dynamic. It's amazing how often that changes the behaviour."