Bullies are the worst

Remember school?

I do. Lots of people trying to get one over me. The odd person trying to stand off with me and a fight to see who loses the most blood, and loads of other harsh life lessons.

School is hard. Because I could never escape from it really. I'd always have to go back into the same class and put up with the same people almost every day.

And bullies,

Well, bullies suck.

If they can't beat you physically then they certainly have a good go at the old mental battle. I was always a tall lad at school, my height warded some of the shorter nasties away. But the mental battles. The slagging matches and urgh. The lot of it. I just couldn't wait until it was all over and I could just go to work.

And then School end came.

And the bully days were over. Yay! Three cheers for me.

Or so I thought.

I didn't realise that work was a wider extension of school. I call work, "School, but with suits and dresses" because going to work can be much worse when you're being bullied. They can have so much weight over you.

I was naive when I was younger. Very naive.

Several years ago I had just landed the best job. And I knew I would flourish and expand and be totally awesome at. I couldn't wait. I couldn't wait to start and get stuck in and meet new people. I was so eager. I could taste the enjoyment and the success.

No-one told me that practically half of my team had applied for the same job too.

I had won it.

An outsider.

At first they had to be nice to me on my first days but after a while the nastiness crept in. The isolation, the snappiness, and not helping me one bit as a team. They had effectively annexed me as a team member, albeit one or two people. I ended up being far too afraid to talk to anyone. I just got on with it.

Long story short my manager caught on to what was happening and she raised the fiery pits of hell and rained meteors on their thick heads.

And that ended that.

They were super nice to me after that.

Turns out I made their project into the most successful one they ever had as a company. 

Figures!

It always strikes me as strange when other staff members sat idly by and watched everything unfold yet never said a word to anyone. I hated that.

And that's why I will raise the ground myself if I witness anyone at the receiving end of bullies. I will complain and make the right people aware. I won't turn the other cheek. Screw that.

I had also noticed a trend. People loved to bully me at work, it was my overtly complying nature. I was a yes man. My Managers loved that. I didn't say,

"I can't do that,"

I said,

"when do you want it done by?"

Perhaps people saw that as a threat? I'm unsure.

Anyway. I grew a spine after that final escapade.

I've never been bullied since.

I refuse to be a victim

And I refuse to watch anyone be a victim too.