A double bind is a trap in which every available response carries a cost. At work, a person may speak up and become the subject of a new proceeding. They may stay silent and watch the conduct continue.
They may try harder to keep the peace, only to have their cooperation used to maintain the arrangement. If they leave, their departure becomes the explanation: they were difficult, disloyal, or never a fit.
This is how power can turn a report into an offense. The original conduct fades from view while the person who named it becomes the problem everyone discusses. The bind is built so that each response can be used against the person responding.