Dear friends, have you ever been bullied at the workplace? The mere mention of ‘bullying’ reminds us of our schooldays. However, it does not only occur in school but also at the workplace.

At the end of 2018, a workplace bullying incident in Japan drew much attention and criticism on the Internet. It happened when an entertainment company in Tokyo was having a year-end party in December 2015. The boss demanded a male employee to ‘do something interesting’. However, When the employee replied, “I don’t know how to do it,” the boss grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pushed his face twice into a piping hot steamboat. He was scalded and had extensive burns. After 3 years, he finally mustered the courage to make it known in public at the end of 2018. He also posted photographs on the Internet. It was definitely an uncomfortable sight to see!

Such extreme cases are rare. However, workplace bullying occurs in several ways. If we identify such cases earlier, we can nip them in the bud; otherwise, they will become worse and result in serious injuries.

At this point in time, someone might say: “I am a Supervisor in my company, so no one dares to bully me!” This is possible, but we hope that everyone, especially Christians, will understand what ‘workplace bullying’ entails, as it is prevalent. Bullying takes many forms in every job and sector. Perhaps you may be facing it now as a victim or a bully. Let’s take some time to understand this issue so that we can protect ourselves and also be certain that we aren’t bullies intentionally or inadvertently......

Critical Thinking Questions:

1. Have you experienced “Workplace Bullying”? What do you think is the right thing to do when facing “Workplace Bullying”?

2. What do you think are the reasons that cause “Workplace Bullying”?

3. What do you think are the differences between “Workplace Bullying” and Criticisms at workplace?