Like it or not office bullying does go on and it can be very draining for anyone who is being bullied and life can seem very hard. But what on earth do you do if the person bullying you is your boss? How can you stop them from bullying you, after all they are more senior within the company?

Well, the first thing that you should do is talk to someone. If your company has a union representative then talk to him or her. If you have a Human Resources Officer, talk to them. If all else fails then talk to other colleagues: remember that if you are being bullied, then they may also be experiencing it and someone needs to speak up.

Keep a note of all incidents that you think constitute bullying. Then arrange to see your manager. Due to the fact that this is likely to be very difficult for you it may help to ask a friend or colleague or someone you trust in the company to attend this meeting with you for some moral support.

Outline to your boss what effect his or her behaviour has had on you and ask them to refrain from bullying you.

If this is all too difficult, then you could write an email or a letter to your boss, outlining the effects of their bullying and you also need to tell them either in the meeting, or in the email, that if they do not stop bullying you, you will be taking this further through the internal grievance procedure, or, if you feel that you have no other option but to leave, due to the bullying, that you will be seeking legal advice.

Usually bullying stops after this. But if it does not, then sign up with a recruitment agency, get another job lined up, hand in your notice and cite your boss’s bullying as the reason for you leaving. Then seek expert legal advice as to how to progress this.