Ask anyone who has experienced being bullied or having extreme stress in the workplace and they will tell you how it’s affected their health and ability to cope. From migraine headaches, ulcers, anxiety, depression and in more extreme cases it’s been proven to have caused diabetes and cancer.

Micki says, “ I can attribute having breast cancer twice to two jobs where I was bullied.” Stress is not always a bad thing. Stress gets the adrenaline going and helps you to be more creative. But bad stress is where you don’t have enough hours in the days to complete your work, or you experience the pressures of unreasonable requests made on you daily.

Having a balanced lifestyle with work and family is imperative. Take the time to take care of your mental and physical health. When you do, you’ll find your work and life is much more pleasant.

Does Being a Highly Sensitive Person Make You a Target for Bullies in the Workplace?

Being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) merely means you have special traits that others don’t possess. You may be sensitive to things like bright lights, loud noises, or crowds. You may also process information more deeply than your co-workers which may appear that you are “slow.”

To find out more about what it means to be a highly sensitive person go to www.hsperson.com. Bullies seem to be able to sense when someone is highly sensitive and zoom in on that and use it to their benefit. A bully will use any mechanism they can find in order to get rid of you, or to make your life miserable. To find out more go to: www.barrisplace.wordpress.com.

Management Tips:

Department meetings not getting you the results you expected? Try starting the meeting with this sentence. “The purpose of this meeting is for me to find out from you what your feelings are as to each of your departments. What do you feel the breakdowns are and what do you need from me to improve these situations?”

Once that is said, be quiet. Let each person talk and as they talk, remain quiet and take notes. You may want to nod your head once in a while to let them know you are paying attention. You will learn more from your team by not trying to “run” the meeting and by just listening.

Here are a few ways to utilize Judith’s advice and guidance on workplace issues.

*Email Judith with your questions at judith_munson@yahoo.com

*Inquire about one-on-one coaching with Judith.

*Bring Judith to your next conference as a keynote speaker.

Or just call us at 530-873-6159 to see how we might be able to be of assistance to you or your company.