...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.
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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...
