Adult bullying often targets people’s personal lives

Bullying among adults often becomes more personal and can affect people at work, in care homes and in everyday life, participants said at a panel on prevention in Dornbirn. ORF reported on the discussion, held during the second Vorarlberg Book Fair at the Kulturhaus cultural centre.

There are currently no figures showing how many adults in Vorarlberg are affected by bullying. Across Austria, however, about 140,000 people reported in the latest Statistics Austria survey that they had been harassed at work.

Adult bullying often differs from bullying among children and teenagers, said Sven Rühl, an author and anti-bullying activist who took part in the panel. Remarks become more provocative and personal, he said, with perpetrators targeting aspects of an adult’s life and using them to humiliate the person.

Maria-Luise Hebenstreit, another panel participant, has experienced bullying at work, including as a manager. She now works with people affected by bullying and runs workshops.

People who witness bullying should take incidents seriously and report them, Hebenstreit said. She advised those affected to keep a diary recording when incidents occur. This can help them establish what is happening and recognise when they need to seek help, she said. Support should be sought from supervisors or public authorities, as required by law, she added.

People who are perceived as different are also often excluded, including members of the LGBTQ community. They may be insulted, threatened or harassed in everyday situations such as visits to the doctor or searches for housing, said Fynn Kirchner, chairman of the Vorarlberg association GoWest.

Many LGBTQ people experience fear of violence from childhood into old age, Kirchner said. Some people entering care homes are afraid they could face systematic violence there, he added.