Conflict Resolution
Bullying at work has become a major cause of workplace stress resulting in 18 million days lost every year and Employers have a legal requirement to deal with stress as they would any other health and safety risk.
In the most recent CIPD attitude survey (2006) 20% of respondents reported experiencing harassment or bullying in the last two years, a worrying increase of 7% since the 2004 survey. The increase is echoed by statistics showing that one in five people have been bullied at some point in their working lives, and new research indicates this figure may be as high as one in two.
One fifth of all UK employees have experienced some form of bullying or harassment over the last two years, according to findings from a survey of 2,000 employees by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in association with MORI and Kingston Business School. Employees who are bullied are more likely to be depressed and anxious, to be less satisfied at work, to under-perform and want to quit.
Mike Emmott, CIPD Employee Relations Adviser, says: “Bullying and harassment is a serious problem in many workplaces and employers need to take the issue more seriously. It can damage individuals’ confidence, morale, motivation and sometimes their health causing them to be less productive and effective at work. It can also trigger absenteeism, make retention rates go down and both the employer’s reputation and bottom line can take a hit.
“Bullying can take many forms, including ridiculing personal characteristics, making unfair criticisms and ignoring people, as well as physical or verbal harassment. Employers need to be alert to the damage a bullying culture can cause. Line managers need to be able to recognise signs of bullying or harassment and take action to deal with the situation before it gets out of hand. Employees who are being bullied or harassed need to know how to complain, and feel reassured that they won’t be victimised if they do.”
The findings show public sector workers are more likely to experience bullying than their private sector counterparts, 22% compared with 17%. According to Emmott, the difference between the public and private sectors may not be due to more bullying happening in the public sector but to greater awareness of the issue and recognition of the importance of dealing with it.
The groups most likely to become victims of bullying and harassment are black and Asian employees, women and disabled individuals. Nearly one third (29%) of Asian employees or those from other ethnic groups report having experienced some form of bullying or harassment compared with 18% of white employees. Employees with disabilities are at least twice as likely to report having experienced one or more forms of bullying and harassment (37%) compared with non-disabled employees (18%).
For more information, including employers’ responsibility in dealing with bullying and harassment in the workplace, review the CIPD Factsheet (Updated April 2008).
Factsheet
Further Reading
Managing Conflict at Work Survey 2007