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I once knew someone who was a victim of workplace bullying.

She was treated differently to other employees. She faced constant criticism over her work. She rarely received praise for a job done well. She never received positive acknowledgement. And when her work was particularly good, it was often thought to be that of someone else’.

While most of us think of bullying as a school issue, very often bullying takes place in other aspects of life – at work, at home and in the neighbourhood around us. While some forms of bullying escalate into physical assault, workplace bullying is silent and almost never addressed.

What is workplace bullying?
It is any on-going harmful or threatening behaviour or actions by a person or group of people in your workplace that creates a risk to your health and safety, as well as your career progression.

How does it manifest?
It can start off subtly, and migrate to things like:

• Excluding you from workplace activities or conversations
• Giving you pointless or demeaning tasks that don’t help you do your job
• Making impossible demands and setting you up to fail
• using your roster to deliberately make things difficult for you
• withholding important information crucial to your work
• spreading rumours, gossip or innuendo about you
• hurtful comments, making fun of you or your work

And in more extreme cases:

• insulting, yelling, swearing at you
• physical violence, from pushing and tripping to outright attacks
• threatening phone calls or texts or threatening you with workplace equipment

Who participates in bullying?
More often than not, the person doing the bullying can be someone in a position of power and authority such as a boss, manager, supervisor or senior staff etc. However, bullying can also happen between colleagues where a group of staff seek to isolate one or more staff. Unfortunately, bullying also succeeds where some chooses to stay quiet as they are not the target of these acts.

Why is it important to address workplace bullying?
A culture of bullying created in a work environment can be toxic and harmful to work performance. It can often lead to poor or low work outputs resulting in inefficiencies and subpar service delivery. In many cases, customers can sense negative vibes in the environment and are often unintended targets of such cultures. These harmful interactions at work can cause outstanding staff to quit their work therefore causing brain drain in the company itself. Overall, the company and eventually society as a whole suffers from a culture of bullying.

 How can you help stop workplace bullying?
Employers have a responsibility to provide a safe workplace. If you or someone you work with is being bullied, report the incident(s) to Human Resources. You might feel strange, embarrassed or scared to report it. You may be scared of losing your job, or escalating the situation, but you need to be brave because what you allow will continue.

What is NOT bullying at work?
Be clear though, that not everything is bullying at work. Sometimes even if we may feel prejudiced against, some things simply are not bullying. Getting fired, transferred, demoted or disciplined is not bullying if there is a justifiable reason behind it. It’s perfectly legitimate for your manager to criticise your performance, if you haven’t been doing well or your work is up for review. It’s their job to manage the quality of your work and ensure you are delivering outstanding work. You can easily differentiate between appraisal and bullying through language used – one builds you up, the other tears you down.

2019 is going to be the year! You’re finally going to apply for that loan and big changes are in the offing! Regardless of what you will be using it for, you’ve already made all the arrangements for it. Bank documents, check. Little happy dance, check!

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What most people do not realise is that one of the most negligible hazards in the workplace is poor ergonomics.

Ergo… what??

Basically, it occurs when the type of work or working condition puts a strain on your body and physical health.  This is one of the hardest hazards to spot as the negative effects take time to manifest.

Many muscle strains result from performing the same motion over and over again. These become repetitive stress injuries. You don’t even realise it, but a lot of the things we do on a daily basis, be it at work or at home, pose repetitive stress on our bodies. Example, typing and using a computer mouse can result in carpal tunnel syndrome. Short-term exposure may result in sore muscles, but long- term exposure can result in serious long-term illnesses!

So what can be done to improve this?

First off, it is the company’s duty to adopt an ergonomic approach to the workplace.

A desk setup that contributes to poor posture will cause long-term harm to the employee such as neck and back strain. Eventually, this can lead to problems with muscles, discs, and joints. Each desk station should have the monitor set at eye-length level, aligned with the keyboard. Chairs should be height adjustible and its arc should support a straight position for the back.

Fatigue is another of the most common causes of workplace injuries. Depending on the nature of the work consider allowing frequent short breaks, especially for outdoor workers. Short breaks are also good in duties requiring repetitive, monotous functions, especially when sitting is required.

Poorly designed or maintained tools and equipment may require workers to perform awkward movements or to contort their body in order to perform a task. Repeated day after day, this causes excessive fatigue and may result in spine and joints injury. Regular maintenance and repairs are required to avoid injury.

Regular phone use can be damaging to the ear, as well as the neck especially when people cradle the phone in order to take notes. Use an earpiece (especially for customer centre) instead or the speaker if you have your own office.

Regular use of laptop, mobile devices and tablets can cause various injuries from eye strain to neck strain. These devices worsen the problem as people continue to use them throughout the evening as they take work home. Take a break from the devices to carry out other tasks, especially when at home. Ensure that lighting in the room is adequate to prevent eye strain.

These examples highlight that many issues associated with poor ergonomics develop over time. When you consider the fact that we spend upwards of one-third our lives at work, proper ergonomics in the workplace is critical to long-term well-being and injury prevention.

It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that employees are working in a conducive environment. Remember that the company benefits in the long run in terms of reduced sick leave and staff turn over. Regular occupational safety checks are a must in every workplace.

Whether you’re haggling the fishmonger for a better price or persuading your toddler to eat his vegetables, you’ve no doubt engaged in some negotiating at some point. Especially true if you have kids because, let’s face it, bribery works better than threats!

So whether you’re house hunting for new accommodation and the perfect place is slightly out of your price range, or your landlord is raising the rent on your current apartment, you always have the option to try and negotiate your rent.

We know, it sounds intimidating! But you’ll be surprised at how, with a little strategy, you just might win over the landlord.

Here’s how we recommend to go about it:

Ask whether the rent price is open to discussion
Politely ask the landlord if he is willing to discuss rent prices and when is a good time to negotiate. It doesn’t hurt to know whom you are talking to, especially if you’re negotiating price for a new place. If possible, find out if your landlord is known to be open to discussion. If you’re facing a rent increase, it is always best to start the conversation at least a month before your tenancy agreement is up so your proprietor has enough time to consider your offer or, if need be, you have time to make other plans.

Negotiate in person, follow up in writing
As best as possible, try to avoid telephonic discussions. Talk to the landlord in person as face to face negotiation is usually best. Remember to remain calm, polite and professional during the discussion; it does not pay to be  rude or defensive. Follow up the discussion within 24 hours with a brief text if e-mail is not possible, thanking them for the meeting and reiterating your suggestion.

Sell yourself!
No, we don’t mean literally. If you are facing a rent increase, you should remind the landlord what a reliable, responsible tenant you have been. Assuming you have always paid your rent on time and have kept the property in good shape, a gentle reminder might help. After all, the landlord does not know whether he will find a good a tenant as you, so it can help prove your worthiness and give them an incentive to keep your current rent.

If you’re on the marker for a new place and your situation allows, you can show you’re financially stable by offering the landlord a few concessions; paying a few months of rent in advance or signing on for a longer lease which saves the landlord money in turnover.

Keep an open mind
And be willing to compromise! Unless you’re absolutely unable to afford the rent rate, you could always suggest a compromise amount that you can afford. For example, if the rent is SCR 1000 higher than you’d like, offer to pay SCR 500 instead.

Have a backup plan!
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, negotiations do not go as planned and you find yourself having to look for alternative accommodations. It is always best to have several places on your radar, just in case your first plan does not pan out.

Remember that landlords are persons just like me and you. As much as they are running a business, they are also family-oriented and they care for their community. In the long run, they are looking for the most responsible tenants (timely rent, clean house and property in good condition). If you are that tenant, you are in a better position to try and negotiate your rent.

Growing up, I may have heard once or twice, here and there, people talking of life insurance but back then I would have had no concept of what that actually means.

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