Stephen never dreaded work before. But then the founder of the charity he worked for began repeatedly shouting and swearing at him. Stephen felt “intimidated” in the office started hating going to meetings. Eventually, he ended up leaving his role and changing careers.
“The most striking thing was that this man could not see the impact he had on others,” explains Stephen (not his real name). “He surrounded himself with other men who were his mates, and marginalised anyone he disagreed with. It all reminded me of the men who have a good reputation as a pillar of a community - but behind closed doors the truth was much uglier.”
Stephen’s experience is not as unusual as you might think. Christine Pratt, founder of the National Bullying Helpline, says the helpline has seen an increase in calls from men looking for advice on workplace bullying, with calls now coming equally from men and women. In the three days prior to her talking to HuffPost UK, Pratt says it received calls from two office managers, a bank worker, a scientist, a scaffolder, and “numerous male teachers and NHS employees”.
