8 Bully Types That Disrupt Workplace Culture

Workplace bullying has long been a challenge, but during Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s especially important to highlight how such behavior directly harms employee well-being, diminishes productivity and exposes organizations to significant legal risks.

Recognizing common bullying patterns allows HR professionals to respond quickly and effectively, preventing issues from growing into larger cultural or legal problems.

The 8 Most Common Bully Personalities

OvercomeBullying.org identifies eight bully personalities that appear frequently in toxic workplace dynamics.

1. The Screaming Mimi

The “Screaming Mimi” is one of the most obvious types of workplace bully. Their loud, aggressive behavior is designed to intimidate and belittle others.

They thrive on the notion that others fear them.

2. The Two-Headed Snake

This employee acts like a trusted friend or colleague to a co-worker’s face. However, when the co-worker is out of earshot, this person will destroy his colleague’s reputation, stab him in the back and even take credit for his work.

3. The Constant Critic

This bully’s goal is to dismantle other people’s confidence through constant – and often unwarranted – criticism.

A critic will look for any possible flaw in someone’s work and labor tirelessly to kill that person’s credibility. Impeccable work? No problem: This type of bully isn’t above falsifying documents or creating evidence to make others look bad.

4. The Gatekeeper

Most workplaces have at least one employee who gets off on wielding his or her power over others, regardless of whether that power is real or perceived.

Gatekeepers deny people the tools they need – like resources, time or information – to do their jobs efficiently.

5. The Attention Seeker

This type of bully wants to be the center of the action at all times.

They’ll try to get on their supervisor’s good side through consistent flattery and even come across as kind and helpful to their peers, especially new employees. However, if co-workers don’t provide the right amount of attention, these bullies can quickly turn on them. These bullies also tend to coax personal info out of new employees, only to use it against them later.

6. The Wannabe

These employees see themselves as absolutely indispensable and expect recognition for everything. But Wannabes aren’t usually very good at their jobs. To compensate, these bullies spend a majority of their time watching more competent workers and looking for areas of skilled workers’ performance to complain about.

Wannabes will demand that everything is done their way – even when there are better ways of doing things. Because they’re automatically opposed to others’ ideas, they’ll do everything in their power to prevent changes to their work processes.

7. The Guru

Generally, there’s nothing wrong with this bully’s work performance. In fact, it’s not unusual for Gurus to be considered experts in their niche area. What these bullies offer in technical skill, however, they severely lack in emotional maturity.

Gurus see themselves as being superior to their co-workers. As a result, they don’t consider how their actions will affect others, aren’t able to fathom the possibility that they can be wrong and don’t accept responsibility for their own actions.

In addition, because these bullies feel as though they’re “above it all,” they don’t always feel compelled to follow the same rules as everybody else.

8. The Manipulative Power-Player

Highly intelligent, articulate, and often charismatic, these workplace bullies can be particularly challenging because they skillfully use emotional manipulation to achieve personal or professional goals. These individuals often show little regard for how their actions affect others, making it difficult to build trust or collaboration around them.

They may rise to positions of influence and surround themselves with loyal supporters who carry out their agenda in hopes of gaining favor or career advancement.

Unfortunately, the result can be a work environment where others may feel marginalized, intimidated or uncertain about how to speak up.

By understanding these eight patterns, HR leaders can better identify toxic dynamics and take steps to protect psychological safety in the workplace. And with these behaviors in mind, experts can offer valuable insights into how HR can effectively respond to bullying

Expert Guidance on Bullying at Work

Dr. Gary Namie is the director of the Workplace Bullying Institute, while Suffolk University Law Professor David Yamada is the director of the New Workplace Institute. Together, they offer a comprehensive perspective on how HR leaders can use practical strategies to address bullying in the workplace.

In a recent Voices of HR episode, Namie and Yamada pointed out that it’s important to distinguish bullying from ordinary workplace conflicts. They defined bullying as intentional, and usually repeated, verbal or nonverbal mistreatment that causes documentable physical and/or mental harm.

Bullying often originates from higher-ranking individuals, which presents a significant challenge for HR professionals in addressing the issue effectively.

HR professionals should present a solid business case, such as bullying-induced turnover and decreased productivity, to senior leadership, quantifying the need for action, according to Namie.

“If they can show the documentable harm on productivity, then the C-suite has to care. And if they don’t care, that means they’re [prioritizing] personal politics or personal relationships … and they’re subordinating the work itself … and fiduciary responsibility because bullies are very expensive to keep,” Namie said.

Responding to Workplace Bullying

When an employee reports potential bullying, HR should respond with empathy and carefully assess the situation to determine if there are legal concerns, such as harassment, discrimination, or retaliation.

Once you’ve evaluated whether there are pressing compliance issues to mitigate, and after you’ve dealt with any related risks, here’s what you can do next:

• Investigate bullying with due diligence. Keep an open mind and analyze changes in the work environment that could be negatively impacting the targeted individual. For example, is their manager being pressured by senior leadership to do more with less because of layoffs? Are others complaining about the alleged bully? Document any incidents and witness accounts.
• Explore options. Consider potential solutions like mediation, counseling (including for the alleged bully), and reassignment that doesn’t come across as a demotion or progressive discipline.
• Elevate soft skills. Challenge the notion that people skills are secondary to technical abilities. Shouldn’t treating co-workers with dignity be a core organizational value?

“The more difficult situations to unpack are where the behaviors are … covert, often behind the back, very situational. … It’s one thing to be left off of this email exchange, but it’s quite another thing to be left off of the … email exchange over and over and over again,” Yamada pointed out.

Anti-Bullying Policy: Essential Components to Include

An effective anti-bullying policy goes beyond compliance; it plays a critical role in fostering psychological safety, shaping organizational culture and mitigating risk.

Whether you’re updating an existing policy or starting from scratch, here are some components of a solid anti-bullying policy:

Clear Definition of Workplace Bullying

Define workplace bullying in practical, behavior-based terms. Go beyond vague language and include examples like:

• Public humiliation or ridicule
• Social exclusion or silent treatment
• Excessive micromanagement or impossible deadlines

A well-defined policy reduces gray areas and improves enforcement.

Accessible Reporting Channels

Employees must know exactly how to report bullying, especially when the alleged bully is their manager. Include:

• Multiple reporting pathways (e.g., HR, anonymous hotline)
• Guidance for escalating issues involving supervisors
• A commitment to timely follow-up

Clear reporting structures increase employee trust in the process.

Transparent Investigation Procedures

Spell out what happens after a report is made. For example, you’ll want to include details about:

• Workplace investigation timelines and responsible parties
• Interview protocols
• How outcomes and resolutions are communicated

Transparency about the process reduces perceptions of bias or inaction.

Non-Retaliation Commitment

Include a strong non-retaliation clause. Make it clear that retaliation, whether subtle or direct, is a separate and serious violation. Reinforce this in manager training and employee onboarding.

Psychological safety depends on employees believing they will not be punished for speaking up.

Clear Consequences for Policy Violations

Outline disciplinary actions tied to bullying behavior, scaled to severity. Be specific about:

• First-time offenses
• Repeated violations
• Impact on performance reviews or promotion eligibility

Clear consequences ensure accountability and reinforce the organization’s cultural standards.