Bullies tend to target high-performing, talented employees at the workplace because they feel insecure about themselves and feel inferior to them. The victims of bullying are usually more intelligent than the bullies. They tend to complete their tasks at a much faster pace and the work they hand is of much higher quality. They do not go to work with the intention of indulging in conflict and will go to great lengths to avoid it. They would prefer dialogue to try and resolve it.

The bullies feel jealous of how good their performance levels are and feel overshadowed by their brilliance. Instead of responding by applying themselves to their job, they resort to bullying which can leave victims psychologically disturbed and mentally drained, often pushing them to take extreme steps and severaly affecting their productivity and quality of work.