Bullying

Three years ago I had worked with a young woman, who had come to me for advice on her job. We'll call her Jane.
Jane was frustrated at work and after 8 years at the same company felt she had no option left but to leave he job for her own sanity. Since I don't ever advise anyone to up and leave their job without first examining their situation and/or without having another job to go to, I requested certain documents from her that would shed some light on what was going on. When Jane first approached me, she had just been placed on stress-leave by her physician. As a single mother, she already had a lot to deal with without being off work for any period of time. But, here she was - desperate to understand what was going on and why after nearly 8 years, she didn't seem to be able to do her job to her manager's satisfaction.
I've flagged the points that were of concern to me and reiterated Jane's assertion that her manager was being difficult.
First Flag! I asked her for her last three quarters performance reviews and we would start there. She came back with only one and told me her manager said the others weren't available.
Second Flag! The only review available was completed after Jane had been placed on stress leave and done over the phone with Jane. On the review, the manager had written, Jane refuses to sign review, however, earlier; she stated she had done it over the phone. I was stunned at the lack of professionalism displayed by her manager and that she would even contact an employee who was off work for anything other than offering her best wishes in return to health, was at best, improper.
Third Flag! For a manager who felt it imperative to call an employee who was on sick leave to complete a performance review, the review itself held little information. What information there was did not indicate any remedial action or training recommended to rectify the situation.
Fourth Flag! As Jane did not feel comfortable talking to the manager alone, when she was ready to return to work, she contacted her HR department and asked them if she could have someone in the meeting with her. She was told she could. The manager told her someone would join them, however, after the meeting was over and I was reviewing documents provided to me for my report, I discovered the person who sat in on the meeting, who Jane thought was her rep was actually the rep from the Insurance Company for the benefit plan. Not even close to being an impartial observer.
Now, three years later, Jane has left this employment. She has a new job and is looking forward to the future. She had to examine her options, produce a strategy and make a decision.  Although this is something some people can do on their own, Jane was wise to seek external assistance.  Not only did she get verification of what she couldn't verbalize, she was able to make a serious decision about her future and that of her family.
What happened to Jane is all too common. Bullying, is usually reserved for long-term employees and predominantly, women. One of the reasons for this is probably obvious - a new employee being bullied would quit! They don't have the time invested in the organization and they are less likely to put up with it. And, of course Jane fit the criteria, single mother, working for the company for 10 years.