What workplace bullying does to your health

Your stress response is built for short bursts of danger. Bullying keeps it switched on for months. Cortisol and adrenaline stay elevated, sleep fragments, and the parts of your brain that handle memory and judgement are the first to suffer. That is why capable people start making uncharacteristic mistakes, which the bully then uses as further evidence. It is a loop, and it is physical.

The pattern people describe is remarkably consistent:

• Sunday night dread, waking at three or four in the morning, and sleeping badly the night before work
• Difficulty concentrating, rereading the same email, forgetting things you would normally hold easily
• Headaches, stomach problems, jaw clenching, chest tightness, frequent minor illness
• Rehearsing conversations for hours, and checking your own messages repeatedly for errors
• Withdrawal from friends, hobbies and exercise, often the first things to go
• Loss of confidence that follows you into interviews and into your next role

This is not a diagnosis. It is a way of seeing the pattern in one place, and of giving yourself language for a conversation with your GP.

Ten minutes goes quickly, so go in with the shape of it already prepared. Three things matter most: what is happening, how long it has been going on, and that you believe work is the cause. Ask specifically for the cause to be recorded.

What to bring, and what to ask for:

You can self certify for the first seven calendar days of sickness absence. After that you need a fit note from a GP or other eligible healthcare professional. A fit note can say you are not fit for work, or that you may be fit for work with adjustments, for example a phased return, reduced hours, changed duties or a different reporting line. In a bullying situation the second option is often more powerful, because it puts a clinician's recommendation in writing.

Statutory sick pay is payable for up to 28 weeks if you meet the eligibility rules. Check your contract for occupational sick pay, which is often more generous but only for a defined period, sometimes on a sliding scale of full pay then half pay. Knowing the date that period ends should shape the timing of everything else you do.

Under health and safety law, employers must assess and manage risks to health, and that includes work related stress. The HSE Management Standards set out six areas that employers are expected to manage: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change. Bullying sits squarely in relationships, and it is not optional for an employer to ignore it once they know.

Employers also owe a common law duty of care. Where a mental health condition has a substantial and long term adverse effect on your day to day activities, it may amount to a disability under the Equality Act 2010, which brings a duty to make reasonable adjustments. Those adjustments can include changing who you report to, altering hours, or moving your workspace.

The practical implication is simple. Put your health concerns in writing. Once your employer knows, doing nothing becomes a decision they have to defend.

Recovery does not begin the day you leave. Many people find the worst weeks come after they are safe, when the adrenaline drops and the body finally registers what happened. That is normal, and it is not a sign that you made the wrong decision.

• Expect a dip once the pressure lifts. Plan for it rather than being ambushed by it.
• Protect sleep first. Almost everything else improves more easily once sleep returns.
• Talking therapy helps, particularly for the loop of replaying conversations. Self referral is available in many areas without going through your GP.
• Rebuild confidence with small, concrete work: a short course, a freelance piece, a volunteering shift.
• Be careful about who you tell and how much. Repeating the story to unsupportive listeners can reopen it.
• Talking to people who have been through the same thing is often the fastest route back to feeling normal.

This guide is information, not medical or legal advice. If you are in crisis, Samaritans are free on 116 123, day or night. In an emergency call 999. For workplace advice, Acas are on 0300 123 1100.