MANY people may have been working from home in lockdowns this year, but that hasn’t stopped a rise in workplace bullying.
Swan Hill Medical Group general practitioner Dr Sangeetha Rajah told The Guardian she had been treating patients with mental health issues, including victims of domestic violence, elder abuse and workplace bullying.
“Workplace bullying has been very prominent,” Dr Rajah said.
“I’ve seen a rise of it since the first lockdown this year, which was in February.
“Bullying is not an answer – it’s just going to ruin life and the victim’s life.”
Dr Rajah said there could be many reasons why the bullying was happening, including marital issues.
“The partner is staying home, they are frustrated and taking it out on their spouses who are then taking it out on their co-workers,” she said.
Dr Rajah said it was primarily women who were targeted, including those from overseas who didn’t have support or family nearby to provide support.
In the past three months, all the patients Dr Rajah has treated for bullying have been women.
She said bullying was not a path to self-satisfaction.
“If you want to get self-satisfaction out of belittling someone, then you’re not fit to sit in a position at work,” she said.
“Belittling someone is not a way to make yourself happy.
“It’s just going to make your life miserable because it will eventually come back to you.”
Dr Rajah said anyone with problems should speak to a manager or see a counsellor, but warned managers may not always be sympathetic towards the victim.
“I’ve had some managers that don’t side with the victim,” she said.
“The victims need to be strong, stand up and voice up and make it known that bullying is not an option.
“Go and see your union or the counsellors at the hospital to work out a solution, or if worse comes to worse, get out of that toxic environment.”
Dr Rajah said on average she was putting together five mental health plans for patients, for issues such as depression and anxiety, each week.
“They feel very frustrated that they can’t go and see their loved ones and feel very isolated,” she said.
“Especially being in the country, we don’t have much to do here, so people feel very isolated, especially people on a farm – especially when there is the 5km limit.”
Dr Rajah has herself been a victim of bullying.
“Now, looking back, I just wanted to get it over with and I just left; I changed jobs because I didn’t want to be around that person,” she said.
“Looking back, I should have confronted the bully, but I didn’t.
“Now I’m telling all the victims out there that they need to stand up for themselves and not let anybody else bully them, especially during the lockdowns when there’s a lot of mental health cases going around.
“You should not be stepped on.”
Dr Rajah said everyone had to work together, especially in the health industry.
“A healthy work environment leads to a healthy community,” she said.
“If you have a workplace that is filled with bullying, jealousy and strife, it’s going to lead to a lot of unhappiness and anger within the community.”
Dr Rajah said all victims of domestic violence should stand up for themselves.
Mallee Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault’s Trish Polglase said throughout the pandemic her office had seen high numbers of domestic violence victims.
“There is no excuse for victims to leave home, so that’s been very difficult, there’s been no justification to get out where they may come to our service for support,” Ms Polglase said.
“If you’re stuck in a house with a perpetrator that’s controlling and won’t let you go anywhere, the doctor’s surgery may be the only place to escape.
“People are seeing no hope.”
