According to a recent survey by the law firm Wright Hassall, conducted ahead of End Workplace Bullying Day, more than half of UK workers have left their jobs or seriously considered it due to bullying.
The results highlight an issue that is of concern, especially for women. 60 percent of respondents said they had been affected by bullying from a colleague or manager. One out of two women have experienced bullying in some form, such as unfair criticism, being undercut, offensive jokes and verbal abuse, like shouting at work.
These experiences have caused many employees to feel isolated and forced them to reconsider their role.
Bullying and Employee Retention
Data suggests that bullying is not an isolated incident but reflects a broader cultural problem in the workplace. One-fourth of employees said they felt undermined or that their work was discredited. Women are 24 percent more likely to be subjected to this type of mistreatment than men. Nearly a quarter of respondents (23%) said that they received unfair criticism, blame or emails. Women were more likely to experience this type of mistreatment than men.
Such behaviours have a significant impact. Over one-tenth of employees has been the victim of offensive jokes (16%) verbal abuse (13%), or exclusion and isolation (13%). Women are more likely than men to report feeling excluded. The survey found that 13 per cent of employees have experienced false information or rumours being spread about themselves.
Tina Chander is the Head of Employment for Wright Hassall. She said: “It is worrying to see how many people have quit or considered quitting a job because of bad behavior. And with more women exhibiting these behaviours, it comes as no surprise that more women are leaving their jobs.
“Many workplaces try to brush off some of these behaviors such as abrupt email, isolation, and a joke that upsets someone. But the reality is that bullying behaviours are involved and that more needs to done to change toxic cultures in workplaces to ensure that people don’t suffer.”
Ineffective and Lack of Reporting
Many employees decide not to report bullying despite its prevalence. In the survey, 72 percent of employees who experienced bullying at work did not report it. The majority of those who raised concerns were 18-34 year old employees. Reporting does not always result in a resolution. 46 percent of those who have reported bullying say that their complaints are ignored, dismissed or made worse.
Reporting bullying was difficult for men in particular. Over half of the men (58%) who reported bullying experiences felt that their situation was made worse or ignored. This is compared to only 41 percent of women. Chander called this a “worrying” finding.
When men do raise concerns, they are ignored or worsened. “This worrying finding shows that workplaces need more to do for everyone,” said she.
The survey revealed that workplace bullying is reported differently by employees of different ages. The survey also revealed that employees over 55 are the least likely group to have experienced bullying. 64 percent of those between 55 and 64 and 85 percent of those 65 and older said they had never been bullied. Chander cautioned, however, against interpreting the figures as a sign that older employees are less likely to be bullied.
It’s unlikely that people in these age groups have seen less workplace bullying. She said that it’s likely that younger people have become more aware of workplace bullying.
“Training can be a part of the solution.” Organisations need to do more in order to create a culture that is widely accepted and to have processes that are well understood by all if anyone is being bullied or harassed.
