It’s not always easy to spot bullying. Sometimes certain behaviours are an expression of conflict – not bullying. The following criteria defined by the psychologist Leymann provide you with an indication of whether your situation could class as bullying. For a clear definition, the situation must be considered from a holistic viewpoint.

Acts of bullying occur in five areas:

• Communication: Your opportunities to communicate are systematically restricted.
• Social relations: You are deprived of the opportunity to be in contact with work colleagues and maintain an exchange of ideas.
• Watch: There are attacks on how others perceive you.
• Work and life situation: These attacks are aimed at reducing the quality of your work and life situation.
• Health: There are attacks on your mental and/or physical health.

Bullying follows a plan: you are deliberately insulted, mocked or ostracised. The acts of bullying take place systematically.

In cases of bullying, the person/party who is harassing has more power than the affected person/party.

Bullying takes place over a longer period of time. A guideline here is a period of six months.

Bullying is usually based on a certain regularity. This can range from weekly to daily harassment. However, there are also court cases in which one-off acts have been classified as bullying.

Our recommendations for action to take in the event of a violation of personal integrity also apply to bullying. You can find the procedure here: What can I do if I am affected by a violation of integrity?