Workplace asshole is a bully. What are my rights as an employee?

Oh, I don't mind. I'm kind of sad that the situation has resulted in this, but it is what it is.

Spreading malicious rumours, gossip, or innuendo that is not true.

He is constantly claiming I am stealing his sales and hijacking his incoming email, generally to other employees (not the proper in charge types)

Excluding or isolating someone socially

When he's mad at you, he literally won't talk to you if you try to start a conversation. If you need help, he pretends he doesn't hear you. He will ignore you until he needs to bitch about something, at which point he will suddenly want to converse. 

Undermining or deliberately impeding a person's work.

He makes a point to never do anything that he feels is my responsibility. From dealing with a customer to picking up a post it note with my writing on it, if it doesn't suit him, he won't do it. Do note that I'm the only co-worker he will do this with.

Physically abusing or threatening abuse.

All sorts of under the breath type things. "If you know what's good for you" or "I'd watch your back if I were you". He's harmless, but it doesn't make it any less wrong.

Making jokes that are 'obviously offensive' by spoken word or e-mail.

He's the "dirty old man" that every place has. I've told him so much as to keep his shitty sexist garbage to himself, but he continues to be a knob simply because he knows I don't find it funny. (I'm male btw)

Underwork - creating a feeling of uselessness.

My sole job responsibility is to handle incoming phone calls, emails, and electronic communication. Our phone system allows us to log our phones in and out of the incoming call group. He logs his phone in and handles incoming calls when he has been told that is not his job, and then complains that I'm not actually doing anything because he's taken my work load away.

At first I thought he was sniffing for extra sales, but then I heard him complaining that my position is unnecessary because I don't do enough to justify it. 

Criticising a person persistently or constantly

He will go in phases where, for a month or so at a time, he relentlessly hounds one person or another about every. single. thing. that they do wrong. To the point of harassment. It starts with small stuff (you left a catalog out, clean up you mess) and escalates to levels of ridiculous (you didn't fold the newspaper correctly, therefore you're an idiot). He then complains to the folks in charge at least once a day about the various things he's seen other employees do incorrectly, as if he is serving some greater purpose.

Tampering with a person's personal belongings or work equipment.

All our work computers have the same password. They aren't personal computers, per se, and up until my position was created, no one really had their own "computer". I use mine all day, much more than the average employee (I have a work area of my own) and when I had suspicions that someone was using my computer when I was on break, I changed my password.

The only person that had a problem with this was the bully, who used some excuse to explain why he was trying to use my computer to begin with. He was pretty upset about this and complained to management (who, again, did nothing) about how I was doing something shady, etc. It's glaringly obvious he was going through my email to check up on me or whatever.

These are just some of the examples I pulled off the top of my head. There's a ton of stuff I'm omitting. I guess I hadn't considered it bullying until I saw the list of bully behavior, but it's pretty hard to ignore now.

I'd like to point out that I am of a pretty strong constitution... I am just not an overly confrontational person. This asshole isn't going to break me, or even do anything more than make my day shitty. I just don't want to have shitty days when I don't have to.

Even if you don't read the rest of this post, I hope you read this: venting online here has been very good for my mood, and I'd like to thank you for allowing me to do so. :-)

/r/halifax Thread Parent