When it comes to a workplace bully or mob, the last place someone being targeted should go is to the human resources or HR department.

While there are some that believe that HR is there to protect the rights of workers, they in fact exist to protect the company.

Paradoxically, the workers that are targeted are often the best and the brightest the company has. Their attackers seek to destroy them to prevent their high standards of work and behavior from being made company policy if they are ever promoted.

It has been shown repeatedly that HR will often side with bullies because they are well entrenched, and may be the product of a manager. A meeting of the parties involved is called, and once again the target is at a disavantage. They often are alone, with HR citing rules and procedures, while the bully uses their skill at manipulation and fabrication to paint the victim as the aggressor.

Even if the target remains calm and repeatedly cites documentation of the bully's or mobs action, tactics such as bursting into tears may be employed, followed by angry countercharges. Please also see bullyonline.org for more on this.

Thus HR is cowed into acceding to the bullies demands. The target will leave the meeting with the uneasy feeling that the worst is yet to come, and often it does.

Thus the paradox: HR gives in to bullies or mobs in an effort to protect the company by maintaining the status quo. However, this means that the hard-working, fair-playing target is eventually eliminated, robbing the company of the valuable human resources that HR by definition is supposed to protect.

NEXT TIME: Some anti-bullying workplace policy recommendations.