Dealing with Workplace Bullying - You Don't Have to Endure It

Workplace Bullying Is Not the Victim's Fault

"Maybe I'm the problem." "If I just try harder, they'll accept me." Victims of workplace bullying tend to blame themselves, but bullying is the aggressor's problem. No matter the reason, behavior that denies someone's dignity or sabotages their work is never acceptable.

Workplace bullying takes many forms: being ignored, excluded, excessively reprimanded, reassigned to menial tasks below your ability, or having your private life intruded upon. What they all share is that they are sustained over time. A single harsh comment and repeated personal attacks are entirely different things.

Three Ways to Protect Yourself

1. Keep Records

Document when it happened, who did it, what was done, and who witnessed it. Save emails and chat screenshots. These records become critical evidence if you later seek advice or take legal action.

There is a method to effective record-keeping. Write notes using the "5W1H" framework (when, where, who, to whom, what, how) and focus on facts rather than emotions. If possible, save screenshots of internal email or chat exchanges. Store them outside company systems, such as personal cloud storage, so you can access them even after leaving the job.

2. Use Internal and External Consultation Services

HR departments, internal harassment hotlines, labor unions. When internal resolution is difficult, your options also include the General Labor Consultation Corners located at prefectural labor bureaus and labor standards inspection offices (free of charge), and consulting an attorney. Do not carry this burden alone.

Feeling that you do not want to "make a big deal of it" is natural. But seeking advice is not an accusation; it is the first step to protect your well-being. Many services accept anonymous inquiries, so you can start by simply gathering information.

3. Leaving Is Not Losing

Requesting a transfer, taking leave, or changing jobs. Changing your environment is not "running away" but a strategic decision to protect your physical and mental health. Recovery takes far longer once you have broken down. Act before you reach your limit. When you are torn over whether to change your environment, books about relationships at work can widen your sense of how much distance you are allowed to keep.

The Power Harassment Prevention Law and Legal Protection

The revised Act on Comprehensive Promotion of Labor Policies (commonly called the Power Harassment Prevention Law), enacted in June 2020, requires all companies to implement anti-harassment measures. Large companies have been covered since 2020 and small-to-medium enterprises since April 2022. Under this law, companies must establish consultation services, conduct fact-finding, provide consideration measures for victims, and implement recurrence-prevention measures.

In other words, a company that receives a complaint of bullying and leaves it unaddressed is failing to carry out the measures the law requires of it. If your concerns go unaddressed, you can consult the "General Labor Consultation Corner" set up at prefectural labor bureaus. Consultations are free, require no appointment, can be done by phone, and accept anonymous inquiries. While wanting to avoid "making a big deal of it" is understandable, keeping records and seeking advice are not about escalation; they are about protecting yourself.

A Common Pitfall: Enduring in Silence

"Maybe things will get better if I just hold on a little longer." Months or years pass with this mindset, yet the aggressor's behavior almost never improves on its own. If physical or mental symptoms appear (insomnia, loss of appetite, heart palpitations, uncontrollable tears), these are signs you have reached your limit.

Another pitfall is the belief that "I can't seek help without evidence." You can consult even without perfect evidence. Consultation services are places that listen and advise; they are not courtrooms. You can start by seeking advice and learn how to gather evidence from there.

Leaving Is the Smartest Option

When "changing jobs" is suggested as a response to workplace bullying, some criticize it as "running away." But there is no rational reason to cling to a single workplace at the cost of your physical and mental health. Bullying and harassment at work have remained, year after year, the most common category among the cases brought to Japan's public labor consultation desks. This is not a problem unique to you.

Changing jobs is not "escape" but "environment optimization." Rather than being worn down in a workplace where the bullying continues, moving to an environment that evaluates your abilities fairly is far more constructive for both your career and your mental well-being. When you decide to resign, two concrete strategies help: begin your job search while you are still employed, and secure a financial safety net before you make the move.

Concrete Next Steps

• Start keeping records today (a notebook or a smartphone memo app will do)
• Contact your nearest General Labor Consultation Corner (free consultation desks at prefectural labor bureaus across Japan; no appointment needed, and phone consultations are available)
• Tell someone you trust (family, friend, occupational physician) about your situation
• If you have physical or mental symptoms, consider visiting a psychosomatic medicine clinic
• Register on a job-search site to confirm that options exist

Takeaway

Against workplace bullying, keep records, use consultation services, and change your environment if needed. Your physical and mental health matter more than any job. Do not carry this alone; start with a small step you can take today.