Formal complaint for bullying?

LegacyUser

I had a recent meeting with my boss in which I felt I was bullied. I brought the manner to his manager and I now need to decide if I want to make a formal complaint.

I'm worried that making a formal complaint will only escalate the problem with my manager but I still don't want to be taken advantage of.

Background on the meeting

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The overall tone of the meeting was very aggressive. There was a general attack on my work/behaviour in the company but he refused go into any specifics.

When I questioned this he said that I could always leave the company. I then asked for a HR representative to be present and he refused this.

I said that I didn't want the meeting to continue without a HR representative and stood up to leave, at which time be shouted at me to sit down. This is just a summary of the meeting which probably lasted 20 minutes.

I immediately reported it to his manager by which time I was very upset at the aggressive and threatening behaviour. There is a history of confrontation between myself and this manager, however a number of other employees have also had problems with him.

So, a couple of questions:
- Is this grounds for a bullying complaint?
- Has anyone else here gone through this process and if so were there any negative consequences?

Thanks.

Mrs OBumble

IMHO, being shouted at in the workplace is ground for a formal complaint: whether you call it bullying or simply inappropriate behaviour is simply a matter of what words your company uses for things.

IMHO, given that you went to his manager already you can't back down now, or he will make your life hell, and you won't be able to make a credible complaint again.

If other employees have had problems with him, then management might actually be very glad of a substantial complaint that they can take action on. You might even find that it works out better for you in the long run.

LegacyUser

Ok, having gone through a sexual harassment complaint myself, I have a little knowledge of the process.

First of all, you should look for any HR documents on harassment or bullying to see where you stand.
Either way, if there is or is not any documentation available, if you genuniely feel agrieved, not just angry - angry is not a good reason to make a complaint, then talk to a manager.
They should be able to tell you where you stand.

You can either choose to make an informal, or formal complaint.
In my case, I made an informal complaint, based on the fact that I had just started in the company, but still felt agrieved, I wanted it noted what happened with my colleague, but did not want to go down the formal route, and have them warned/fired. My colleague was warned, but informally i.e. no note in his file etc. I felt that was enough.
It genuinely depends on what you want to happen.

If you want months of being pulled into offices here and there to discuss matters, and thinking of it all the time, go the formal route, but it is all exhausing and I would strongly advise you to think carefully. Personally, having had all this going on informally would be too much for me. Plus think about living with all this going on. Please dont think I discourage formal complaints, but they are for more serious matter, which you have described although definitely not appropriate, does it merit all the above?

A formal complaint could also go against you (you word against his, for example. He can also make a counter complaint against you).

Just make sure if you make a compaint, be it formal or informal, do it for the right reasons. Take your time. Maybe in a few days you might have calmed down.