Hi , was really after some advice!

Me and the two other girls i work with are being bullied / harassed by our manager. She insults one of us to the others , makes up lies , clicks fingers at us if we're not " moving fast enough " , snaps at us etc. We've taken it for long enough and have spoken to the boss who has had a word but it's still carrying on - in fact it's got much worse. One of the girls has handed in her notice , boss has had a formal word but it's still going on. If we try to say something to her she tells us off for answering back.

Has anyone been in a similar situation that can offer advice?  I know it'll take time if she is to be dismissed but is there anything that can be done in the meantime?

Many thanks

Raise a grievance against her with HR.  She has to know that behaviour like that will not be tolerated.

And most of all, stick together!  It is always better if you aren't on your own.  Bullies are cowards first and foremost, sounds like she is on a power trip because she is someone's boss.  If the bullying is not work related then put her in her place, she has no right to discuss personal issues with other members of staff.  Also, if you need signatures etc, permissions, go above her to her boss for them.  Slight her at every opportunity.  She's on a power trip, you have to show her that really she has no power whatsoever.  Ok that's maybe what I would do and it may not make life easier, but certainly raise a grievance with HR.  And if there are any repercussions from that, then there is always an employment trubunal.

ETA incidentally my former boss was 3 years older than me, and let me know that she was older and wiser lol.  But anything she couldn't do, or didn't want to do, she passed onto me.  Bosses like that are a dime a dozen unfortunately.  But people now know that it was ME doing all the hard work since she left.

There should be a designated 'Grievance Procedure' laid down in your contract of Employment, also make sure that all complaints are put in writing.  Good luck.

good luck.
let us know how you get on.

This site might be helpful ... :)

http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1461

As well as the other advice given.

When she insults one of you to other staff, why do the others not say, we don't wish to hear?
When she clicks her fingers, why do you not say I will do as you ask if you talk to me in a proper fashion?
If she makes up lies why do you not all say so?
If she tells you off for answering back, then you say you are not in kindergarden, your an adult who will use her voice.

If you all stand together and insist on being spoken to and treated properly there is little she can do. If you are afraid of her then once again if you all stand together and talk to her she can do little, you can not be sacked for demanding respect if that is what you are afraid of, only for not doing your jobs.

As suggested if you all put in writing what she does and continue to complain then something will be done, but more importantly she can only be this way if you let her, stand up for yourselves and start to fight back, at least there are 3 of you if is not one person alone. :-)

As has previously been mentioned there will be a process that you can follow. Do you have an HR department?

Sadly, many companies offer inadequate training for managers and many are just promoted up the line without any thought as to how they make the transition.  The behaviour you describe shouldn't be tolerated but it may be worth considering that she is feeling out of her depth. 

Are the 3 of you a 'unit'?  By that I mean do you hang out together, roll eyeballs over the desks, meet outside work, have your own 'in jokes'.  One of the reasons that I ask is that you mentioned your manager is rude about each of you to the others and it sounds as if she may be trying to split you up or divide and rule.  Maybe because she is feeling threatened by your solidarity?

Be clear with your boss just exactly what you are uncomfortable with and make detailed notes.  Try and keep it factual not emotional.  Remember that your Boss may not have had much training either and that inept handling at this stage could backfire on you so take some advice from HR if you can.  The company is not obliged to keep you informed of what action they take but they may keep you in the loop.  You are right too when you say it can be a lengthy process, I've known it take a year to dismiss someone.  When you say formal word - do you know if that was a verbal warning or just a quiet word in her ear? 

Bullying is a very serious issue but it can be hard to prove, so whilst it works through the system, stick a smile on your face and do your job to the best of your ability.  The more positive and upbeat you are the more obvious her negative attitude will be and it's likely to become more noticable to others.   In the meantime, it really does help if you can keep a sense of humour; unfortunately many, many useless managers get 'The Thanksgiving Promotion'; you know the one - "Pass the Turkey"!!  In your case however this may be a good thing so I'm sending you positive thoughts :)

Thank you for all advice given! The website link makes for some interesting reading , will pass it onto the others.

We have tried sticking up for each other but she is fine for a bit then just starts all over again. Or if we do say something she just gets in a huff for the rest of the day and it makes the working atmosphere really difficult. And in the afternoons there is only her and one of us working so we can't stick together then so it's harder. She also tries to single us out when we are all working.

I tried to stick up for one of the girls this pm and she told me that she wasn't looking for my opinion , she was telling me that thats how it was!!.

It just wears you down so it gets harder to say anything back.

Hi , no she thinks that i'm with her , and the other two are "them" . She was manager before i started and has always been a bit tetchy but it has got worse over the last few months. We do hang out together but she doesn't know - she only critises what we wear , do , say etc when we've gone out before.

The boss is the owner - it's only a small team , but he's been great. He's had an informal chat to see if that helped ( didn't ) so she's had a formal warning. He's trying to do it carefully as we're scared of what she will say to us so he's treading carefully.

Thank you everyone for everything so far - it's helping just talking and having other peoples views on it!

If I can suggest something....maybe it isn't 100 % but like someone else said....write down dates and times....then exactly what she says or does  (that you find offensive) also bring an MP3player that records.....record what she says during the day....if your evidence is in her own voice she cant deny having said it. But at the very least maybe if she sees you writing down her actions....she will know you are serious about taking the matter further.

I was mercilessly bullied by a colleague, with the full knowledge of my boss. I complained to my boss who refused to follow the bullying and harrassment policy, and insisted on the "tread carefully " approach. This resulted in no action ever being taken, and I suffered a nervous breakdown and attempted to take my own life.
There is a time to tread carefully and a time to be firm and fair. This woman has already had a warning, she already knows that a complaint has been made. If she retaliates against any individual for being reported she could be and should be dismissed. The time for you boss to tread carefully is probably past, and he needs to take more decisive action if there has been no improvement since the warning.
I also think you are making a genuine huge mistake in "appearing" to side with her. "no she thinks that i'm with her , and the other two are "them" "you may think it keeps you off the hook, but you are encouraging her to continue behave badly, as she believes she has your support. In your position I would keep a wide berth.....behave in a professional manner, but keep your distance. If this woman gets cornered she could likely say you were involved, or throw blame in your direction. Bullies feed off having a sidekick ,perceived or otherwise. Keep your distance, isolate her and it may well stop.
In the meantime , make sure that all incidences of bullying are documented, dated, and witnessed. If you dont do this, your boss will not be able to dismiss her or take any further action to control her behaviour without risking being taken for industrial tribunal. Dot the I's and cross the T's.

Agree with pinklillies,you really can't run with the fox and the hounds,the only side you need to be on is your own.As all have said above whatever you do,keep a detailed diary.I ended up walking away from a terrible work situation,I should have taken my boss to court,but was too upset,the girl who did take my place I later heard did take my old boss to court and was awarded about 7 grand,and that always makes me smile.I would also say that if you feel you cant win or it upsets you that much,walk away,it may not be the right thing to do,but you have to balance things out and decide what its really worth,work is just such a big part of life,you need to be happy,it ends up affecting everything.
Ash x

Thank you both - had thought about taking something to record what she says but didn't know wether this was invasion of privacy which she could then use against me , or everyone , later on.  After advice have started started neat diary ( had scribbled few things down before ) with all details , times etc.

Sorry , when i said tread carefully i meant he did it for us - so he didn't tell her who had complained and said that he and his wife had heard some of the things she had said instead. My boss has told us all that if she ever came down to say that we had said something back to her he would defend us cause he knows what she's like. He is keeping a diary too.

Didn't think about the appearing to side with her view. I don't mean to intentionally it's just that whenever ive tried a different view in the past she keeps going till her opinion is final and sometimes im jusat too exhausted to get into all that.

Many thanks again to you all.

Go to citizens advice bureau. They will tell you how to handle it and will also give you cleverly worded letter etc to use!

Glad the website was helpful, did you manage to find the info regarding the bullying? :)  (I did a search on their website for bullying at work)

Just thought of one more thing....do you know if your boss has followed the appropriate structure of giving out the warning that she already had? Ill try and explain myself with a fictitious example:
If an employee was found guilty of verbally abusing a colleague, they would possibly receive  a warning, verbal or written. (Even written warnings must be documented and placed on record).  the warning itself must contain the reason for the warning, i.e. verbal abuse. It must also contain the expectations of future behaviour, i.e. no further episodes of verbal abuse. It should also contain a named period of time in which to demonstrate such improvements, i.e. a period of direct monitoring. This is why it is called a warning.....you are warned that if you fail to achieve the improvement in x weeks or months, that the next stage in the disciplinary procedure will be invoked.
If your boss followed that structure, then she should have been warned to improve her specific behaviours within a given time frame. If she is still within that timeframe he is entitled to proceed to the next stage, e.g. a written warning, final written warning, or dismissal. If she is outside that timeframe he must start anew. Either way, if she is breaching her warning, he must proceed to the next stage, or there was no point giving the warning.

If I were in the place of you and your co workers, I would decide exactly how much more of this you are prepared to tolerate. One more episode?, two more months ? a year?
Your boss sounds like a nice guy but he is still allowing you to be bullied in the workplace, and not acting on the womans previous warning. If it doesnt improve, and your boss takes no action in a given time frame, then you are going to unfortunately have to take action against your boss for failing to stop it. Employment law states that a bully is responsible for their own actions, but that an employer has a legal obligation to act to stop bullying if they know it is happening.  make a decision and stick to it.

The Keeping note of dates and written logs can prove invaluable. Make sure you follow procedure to the letter. Have no "chats to clear the air" with out a witness.  Be professional.
Keep your chin up support each other and above all help her to change.

I hear you about jobs mine really irks me- Don't mind the job but the people in it- well the boss, supervisor and the lady in the office... I am looking for another job but have not found one that pays what I get and when I do I will be giving my notice and also giving them an earful- I keep everything in writing of what goes on and I want answers but will wait till I leave.

I would go into detail but how do I know if they are ever on this site maybe looking for some doggy advice or something who knows hit google just never know where it may land you

I really feel for you and if you people can stick together then I feel you have more of a chance as a minority then as an individual- best of luck :-)