Breaking news this morning that Dominic Raab has resigned as Deputy Prime Minister due to bullying claims made against him. Bullying is something you’d think you’d leave behind when you leave school but workplace bullying is more common than you may think. What does workplace bullying look like? And what can you do about it?

The UK government specifies workplace bullying as “behaviour that makes someone feel intimidated or offended”; from abuse of power, humiliating or undermining a colleague deliberately, isolating and excluding someone from a group or as direct as verbal or physical abuse.

If you’re feeling bullied at work the important thing to do is rationally take stock of the situation. Start keeping a record of each occasion you feel intimidated, noting if there was anyone else present and where and when it took place; building up a record will enable you to have a sound argument should you approach the person directly or contact HR. Note down how it made you feel as soon after the event as you can, reading back on instances without emotional back up can sometimes make the event seem more trivial than it was.

Once you feel prepared that you have a comprehensive timeline of the bullying, confront the situation head on, but think carefully about whether to approach the bully first, or HR. Think about if you feel comfortable approaching the instigator directly or if you would rather it be done by a third party and the repercussions of both. If approaching the perpetrator directly, tell them how you feel and give them the opportunity to discuss their view on the situation. In some cases, it may be a misunderstanding, perhaps the bully thinks they are just being jokey or fun and would be horrified to think they had caused upset. If approaching HR, ensure you give a professional, rounded timeline of events to ensure they can investigate and resolve the issue as swiftly as possible.