Why Don't We Talk About Bullying in Higher Education?

...But let's be honest. Bullying exists across the sector. I've seen it in many guises over three decades in HE, and I see it now with increasing frequency in conversations with clients, colleagues and friends. Not as an occasional outlier, but as a pattern that becomes more visible when pressure rises, and people feel threatened... 

 ...workplace stress and bullying than men. My own experience and interactions over the years align with that... 

 ...Decision makers in the process tend to be risk-averse, which compounds the problem. The perceived need to have definitive evidence often results in the process simply failing the victim. I’ve seen relatively few cases where the evidence is water-tight - generally it’s a succession of low-level incidents sustained over long periods of time, every single moment not quite crossing ‘the line’ (who sets that line anyway?!)... 

 ...in pressured institutions, this dynamic can accelerate quickly. Territorial skirmishes turn into turf wars. Information is hoarded rather than shared. Colleagues who once collaborated become guarded and transactional. And if you're the person tasked with implementing difficult decisions or surfacing uncomfortable truths, you can become a convenient lightning rod for blame and negative attention. Working in this environment is exhausting. And it's isolating... 

 ...Document relentlessly. Dates, times, exact words, witnesses, context. Email yourself a contemporaneous note after each incident. This feels tedious and exhausting, but it's essential if things escalate. Memory isn't evidence; records are. And the very process of documenting all of this can be bizarrely liberating as the dawning realisation that you are not imagining things starts to sink in. 

 Find allies. Serious bullies rarely have just one target. Quietly and carefully, find out whether others have experienced similar behaviour. There's safety and credibility in numbers, and it shifts the narrative from ‘personality clash’ (i.e. victim blaming) to ‘pattern of behaviour.’ To be clear, this shouldn’t ever descend to gossip or character assassination in the corridor. Preserve your own integrity in this process. 

Get external support. Union rep, coach, therapist, trusted mentor or HR expert outside the institution. You need someone who isn't embedded in the politics and can help you think clearly. This external view is vital for helping you feel supported and empowered and for providing options you may not have been aware of. 

Know your formal options, even if you choose not to use them. Understand your institution's grievance process, dignity-at-work policy, and the thresholds. Check out the escalation routes thoroughly. · 

Recognise when leaving is the right choice. This absolutely is not defeat, and it is not ‘letting them win’. Sometimes the institution is too invested in protecting the bully, and the cost of staying outweighs the benefits. Protecting your health, career and reputation elsewhere can be the wisest move. Only you can know for sure if this is the route for you... 

Let's be frank about the power dynamics at play. 

Some bullies are protected because they bring in money. Research income, student recruitment, and commercial partnerships - these carry weight. An academic who generates millions in grants may be quietly deemed ‘too valuable to lose,’ regardless of how many staff they've driven out or damaged. 

Some are protected because they hold political capital. They sit on the right committees, have the ear of the Vice-Chancellor, or know where institutional bodies are buried. Challenging them risks destabilising delicate power structures. Some are protected because confronting them is simply too difficult.

Employment law feels risky, the process feels endless, and the evidence can seem flimsy. The bully is articulate, well-connected, and will fight back hard. It's easier to wait until retirement or hope the problem resolves. Spoiler alert – it won’t. And some institutions choose reputation management over genuine action. The priority becomes containing the story rather than addressing the behaviour. Confidentiality becomes a shield - not for the complainant, but for the institution. The result? Staff learn that raising concerns is futile. They leave, or they stay silent. The bully remains. And the cycle continues... 

 From: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-dont-we-talk-bullying-higher-education-jenny-jenkin-pvj2e

American University library staff detail culture of bullying by supervisors

Across the two years she has worked at the American University library, Sydney Henry has compiled a notebook of her experiences. The pages chronicle, she says, a years-long pattern of intimidation and belittlement by supervisors. 

Henry said she was left out of meetings and was told she was lucky her employers gave her a chance despite her youth. Henry, 23, is the library’s communication and event coordinator. 
When she was assigned work beyond her pay grade and started seeking a raise, Henry met with University Librarian Jeehyun Davis, a member of the Dean’s Council and Henry’s top supervisor. Davis told her she likely wouldn’t do anything going through the Staff Union or human resources, Henry said.  

Henry, a unionised employee, had already filed a pay grievance through AU’s Staff Union in February 2025. When her supervisors learned of this, the bullying increased, Henry said. 
Henry is not the only library employee to say she’s faced mistreatment specifically from Davis, nor is she the only one to report it with no actionable results. Davis declined to sit for an interview but said in an emailed statement she “cannot comment on individual personnel matters” and that she takes “any concerns about workplace culture seriously and supports the university’s established processes for reviewing and addressing them.” 

According to Henry, others have reported Davis to the University over the last two years. One of those staff members is Bella Goris, now an adjunct professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, who formerly worked in the Office of Inclusive Excellence and for budget and personnel in the library.

Goris said their experience working in the library was similar to Henry’s. They too said they were asked to do work beyond their job description and paygrade and were belittled and excluded once they started asking for a raise.  

In spring 2025, Goris said she filed a Title IX complaint against Davis for discrimination, but never heard back from the Office of Equity and Title IX. The Eagle has not seen documentation of the complaint because it was made verbally and in person at the office...

According to Elison, the system to report workplace bullying at AU isn’t responsive enough to address the scope of the issue. He said he’s seen staff become so disillusioned with the reporting process that they don't follow through.

“It’s not even worth the trauma of going and reporting it,” he said. “Sometimes you just need to leave.” 

Henry, who first filed a grievance with the union in February 2025, said she saw an increase in mistreatment and described the reporting process as exhausting.

When it comes to reporting workplace mistreatment, staff at AU generally have two options: going through AU human resources directly, or union-eligible employees can file a grievance through AU’s Staff Union, part of Service Employees International Union Local 500.

Employees can also file a Title IX complaint through the Equity and Title IX Office when they feel like they’re being discriminated against based on their sex or gender identity. Goris said she filed a Title IX complaint regarding her experiences in the library but never heard back from the office...

From: https://www.theeagleonline.com/article/2026/01/american-university-library-staff-detail-culture-of-bullying-by-supervisors

Professors call for overhaul of university governance - University of Luxembourg

Two University of Luxembourg professors are calling for the institution’s governance to be overhauled as it approaches its 25th anniversary, and with an audit to get underway in the coming weeks.

In an open letter published Saturday in the Luxemburger Wort, Luc Heuschling, a professor of constitutional law, and Benoît Majerus, a European history professor, described the university as hierarchical and not democratic enough.

The letter was published as the government is preparing an audit of the university’s governance structures.

The audit comes after persistent media reports of bullying and mismanagement within the institution – including by this newspaper – which began after masked protesters had handed out flyers to members of parliament last September, warning of an “alarming situation behind the scenes.

Heuschling and Majerus criticised the university’s response to the reports, saying it had attempted to discredit the testimonials, describing them as personal frustrations while also presenting the university as the victim.  

Complaints mechanisms within the university appear not to fulfil their role if members of staff feel no other recourse than turning to the press, they said.

From: https://www.luxtimes.lu/luxembourg/university-of-luxembourgs-professors-call-for-governance-overhaul-amid-bullying-claims/140217072.html