A recent survey on workplace harassment commissioned by Wright Hassall revealed that a concerning 50% of 1,026 respondents had either been bullied themselves at work or witnessed their colleagues being bullied. (47.80% men and 59% women).
What is bullying? Many employees are not sure.
This is a worrying statistic in and of itself. But the biggest concern is that many employees are unaware of what constitutes bullying. Over half (57%) of the employees surveyed believed that shouting in the workplace does not count as bullying.
The survey also revealed that:
- 35% of respondents did not think that making jokes about someone could be considered bullying
- 32% of respondents did not consider the exclusion of others from group meetings as bullying behaviour
- 63% of respondents said that they did not consider abrupt emails to be bullying
Another serious concern is the fact that 21% did not believe that spreading rumours against a person was bullying. 12% also didn’t consider intimidation to be bullying. Further, 6% did not believe any of the behaviours above would be considered as bullying.
These findings are just the tip.
The findings indicate that workplace bullying is more prevalent than what respondents reported, particularly among women who appear to be bullied more than their male counterparts.
The male respondents are almost evenly split on whether they’ve experienced workplace bullying (47.80% to 44.30%). However, women have been bullied at work in greater numbers (56.30%) than men (35.50%).
Over a quarter (26.22%), of the respondents, did not know how to respond if they were being bullied in the workplace. This should alarm employers. It is likely that employers have not provided adequate training or education to employees about the company’s policy against bullying, or worse still, do not have one in place.
Senior managers who tolerate shouting in the workplace could be creating a serious issue.
It is not good for business to have a toxic workplace culture
This survey shows that bullying in the workplace is still a major issue that employers must address. It is important to tackle bullying and harassment from both a moral as well as a commercial perspective. In a toxic workplace where this type of behaviour is tolerated, it will result in demotivated employees, high employee turnover rates, absenteeism, and reputational damage.
A healthy workplace culture in which employees are empowered to speak up and feel valued will lead to high staff retention rates, increased productivity, and a good reputation on the market. Richard Branson said: “If you look after your employees, then they will look after the clients.”
Shouting in the workplace is a big no-no
We can illustrate this by looking at the shouting that occurs at work. 57% of respondents to a survey did not consider it bullying. Some employers are relaxed about senior managers screaming at employees under them. They may see it as a sign that they’re ‘passionate’.
Although there is no legal definition for bullying, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service’s (ACAS) descriptions of what constitutes bullying are clear: unwelcome behaviour, abuse of power, and emotional harm.
Senior managers who tolerate shouting in the workplace could be causing a problem. This is especially true if an employee makes a formal complaint or takes their employer to court. Damage to the reputation of the company can be very costly and can cause a lot of damage.
Education and accountability is key
Employers can best eliminate such behavior by developing and implementing a comprehensive policy against bullying that does not leave any room for ambiguity about what constitutes bullying. The policy should be communicated clearly to all employees, regardless of their position and seniority.
Both employees and managers should receive rigorous training to help them recognize and prevent bullying. Employers must also establish and maintain a robust investigation and reporting process. This is important, even when senior managers are involved.
Employers should be aware that workplace bullying is disproportionately affecting women. They must focus their efforts on implementing processes to report bullying and make sure that everyone knows the resources available.
Leaders set the tone
The above measures to combat workplace bullying won’t be effective unless managers lead by example.
It is the responsibility of senior managers, from the CEO down, to promote a positive work culture. It is important that they make it clear to all employees that it’s safe to speak up against inappropriate behavior.
