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There is absolutely, 100 percent,  no room for bullies in the workplace today. Yet, cases of workplace bullying that ends in violence seem to make the 5 o’clock news every week somewhere in the nation. Human resource managers do their best to police the office and make sure everyone is happy, but they can only keep their eyes on so many people at once.

When workplace bullies arise, it can be difficult to get rid of them, or tame them. If you follow the tips outlined in this article, you should have no trouble stopping workplace bullies in their tracks.

Keep Records of Bullying Events

When a bully rears its ugly head in the workplace, the first thing that must be done is recording all bullying events. This should happen before and after a human resource manager confronts the bully about his or her behavior at the office. When you keep records, you are preparing a case file for if and when the bully needs to be relieved of their duties by the company. It makes the firing process much easier for all involved.

Examine the Culture of the Office

For all you know, the office culture could be the reason why bullies have developed at your company. You can begin to fix the bullying problem by examining the culture of the office. There really is no one-size-fits-all fix for office bullying. Instead, you can figure out the best course of action when you examine the culture of the company. Bullying behavior includes jokes, sarcasm, physical altercations, sabotaging the work of another and verbal abuse.

Provide a Written Anti-Bullying Policy

One of the best steps to take when it comes to dealing with a bully in the office is to provide a written policy. The policy can be posted in the break room, the cafeteria, in the storage room and any other place you feel it is necessary. When you have a solid, written, anti-bullying policy in place, you are putting yourself ahead of the bullies in the office.

Train Your Employees

Even though you have a written policy in place, you still need to train your employees. They need to know what to look for in a workplace bully and how to behave while in the office. If they are not trained as to what workplace bullying is, they will have trouble avoiding or preventing it.

Complaints Must be Taken Seriously

Any and all complaints filed with management or your human resource department must be taken seriously. There are two reasons for this. The first is that the actual bullying could be a small issue that could have been resolved following an investigation. The second is that an investigation of a complaint can prevent a legal battle.

Management Must be On-Board

As with any policy at the office, management from top to bottom must be on-board and follow the anti-bullying policy. This means that everyone from the CEO on down must behave in-line with the policy at the office.