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20% of workers bullied

One in five of all UK employees have experienced some form of bullying or harassment in the workplace, new research shows. The study, carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), found that employees who are bullied are more likely to be depressed, anxious and underperforming.

Public sector workers are almost twice as likely to experience bullying than their private sector counterparts. According to the CIPD, the difference between the two may not be due to more bullying happening in the public sector, but instead as a result of greater awareness of the issue and recognition of the importance of dealing with it.

Mike Emmott, CIPD Employee Relations Adviser, said: “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.

“Many organisations have anti-bullying and harassment policies, but changing people’s behaviour remains a challenge. Bullies don’t always recognise what they are doing and victims can be reluctant to complain. There is a real need for employers to explore the underlying issues, and consider for example if they should provide diversity training. People need to respect the contribution that others can make, regardless of gender, race and disability.”

Anti-bullying charity, The Andrea Adams Trust, is running a Ban Bullying at Work Day on 7 November to persuade employers to combat bullying in the workplace.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .