Sleepless nights, dwindling self-confidence and dreading Mondays can all be symptoms if you're being bullied at work.

"Commonly, the person who's being bullied wrongly feels it's all their fault," says Lyn Witheridge, chief executive of the Andrea Adams Consultancy, which advises employers on preventing workplace bullying.

"Victims can suffer months, sometimes years, of stress, often desperately trying to please the person who is making their life a misery.

"It can take a long time before a person becomes aware that it's bullying and they are not responsible for the problem."

The issue received widespread attention recently after allegations that Prime Minister Gordon Brown verbally abused staff at 10 Downing Street.

While those reports were strongly denied, workplace bullying is a significant problem in the UK, according to figures from The Andrea Adams Consultancy.

It estimates that more than two million people are bullied at work, resulting in 18.9 million working days lost.

"There are many reasons for bullying," says Witheridge. "Generally, something about you may make the bully feel threatened or jealous, and by undermining or demoralising you, they will feel better about themselves.

"So, it can often happen to those who are strong, articulate and talented professionals who are often better at what they do than those who bully them."

Another expert, Dr Gary Namie, co-author with his wife, Ruth, of The Bully At Work, agrees but points out that those who are often most vulnerable are "those who value their 'niceness', rely on the approval of others and tend to be non-confrontational".

Bullying, he says, can totally destroy an individual's wellbeing and may have serious effects on physical health.

"Adding to the stress is that many people hide the problem from friends and family because they feel ashamed it is happening, as it makes them feel inadequate. "As they become more undermined they may start struggling at home as well as at work, so triggering another set of problems in their personal relationships.

The devastating effect of this problem, I believe, is totally underestimated."

Disturbingly, growing numbers of employees are at risk of bullying because of the recession, according to Julia Goodman, founder of Personal Presentation, which specialises in communication coaching.
She believes the pressures of the current economic climate heightens strains on boss/employee relationships.

"We've been getting larger numbers of inquiries from companies needing to address bullying bosses, often because they fear being taken to court by employees claiming harassment." she says.

"If you are being bullied it may help if you recognise that a bully's behaviour is probably the opposite of how they really feel.

"That aggressive manager may well be hiding a frightened interior, have low self worth, and sometimes be totally unaware of the effect they are having on people."

Care needs to be taken in tackling the problem, counsels Witheridge, who advises against an individual taking a confrontational approach on their own.

"This apparently straightforward and common sense approach is more likely to enrage than to persuade the person to see reason. It will almost certainly result in an increased vindictiveness towards the accuser."

She advises that before taking action through official channels, an employee should first consider an informal approach.

"Bullying at work usually affects several members of staff at any one time, so check and see if colleagues are having the same problem as you.
"Try to remain confident, calm, and keep a record of incidents. Take advice from your union or human resources department. There is action you can take, you are probably not alone in suffering this common problem, and most importantly you are not to blame."

The TUC has information about recognising and dealing with workplace bullying. Visit: www.worksmart.org.uk/health/bullying.

The Andrea Adams Consultancy, runs workplace bullying awareness courses, education and training programmes for employers: 01273 389 412/ www.andreaadamstrust.org. The Bully At Work, by Dr Gary Namie and Dr Ruth Namie is published by Source-books.

Is bullying a problem in your workplace? Vote now in our poll on the right.