When Sarah first described what was happening at work, neither of us called it bullying.
She couldn’t understand why her relationship with her manager had changed so dramatically.
Everything had been going well until one day she respectfully questioned a decision. She wasn’t being difficult she simply offered a different perspective, something previous managers had always welcomed.
Almost overnight, everything changed.
She was excluded from meetings that affected her work. Information stopped reaching her. Decisions were made without her, opportunities disappeared, and passive-aggressive behaviour became the norm.
To everyone else, her manager seemed approachable, supportive, and professional.
Sarah began questioning herself.
“Maybe I’m overreacting.”
“Maybe I’m imagining it.”
Then came her performance review.
Her manager openly admitted that after Sarah challenged her, she felt Sarah had “crossed the line” and needed to “learn her place.”
In that moment, everything became clear.
This wasn’t poor communication or a personality clash.
It was a deliberate misuse of managerial power.
The most damaging workplace bullying is often the quiet kind. It doesn’t involve shouting or public humiliation. It happens through exclusion, withholding information, removing opportunities, and subtle acts that slowly erode confidence while leaving little evidence behind.
By the time Sarah came to coaching, she didn’t need someone to tell her she’d been bullied. She needed the space to rebuild her confidence, trust her own judgement, and decide what came next.
Ultimately, she chose to leave not because she had failed, but because she realized staying in an environment that undermined her confidence, no longer aligned with the future she wanted to build.
One of the greatest privileges of my work as a coach is watching someone move from self-doubt to self-belief.
Because sometimes the most important career decision isn’t whether to stay or leave.
It’s deciding to stop doubting yourself.
If Sarah’s story feels uncomfortably familiar, perhaps it’s time for a conversation.
You don’t have to make sense of it on your own.
Feel free to send me a DM if you’d like to talk.
Image Credit: Canva & ChatGPT
