Have you been the victim of workplace bullying?
Last Updated on September 29, 2017 by Christian Ralph
When it comes to bullying in the workplace, it seems the nasty behaviour is a regular occurrence in the UK.
Our recent survey revealed that a massive 75% of Brits have witnessed workplace bullying, including threatening behaviour, or interference, such as work sabotage.
But worst still, two thirds of people polled admitted actually taking part in some form of bullying in the office. Gossiping, name calling and taking credit for another person’s work were among the many confessions.
For lots of employees, lunch is the time where they relax and take their mind off work. However, 6% of those polled, admitted they’d stolen food to wind-up their colleagues, so it may not be the saving grace of the day for some!
Despite this malicious behaviour, only one in five office workers has the courage to tell their manager. But, just half of the situations discussed in these meetings resulted in an improved atmosphere, which may be an explanation behind the decision to keep schtum.
Managers in Scotland were the most successful at making improvements to a happier workplace, with three quarters of employees in Aberdeen saying that speaking to their boss helped to ease a bullying situation. This was closely followed by Edinburgh (62%) and Glasgow (61%).
In comparison, just a third of employees in Sheffield spotted a remarked difference in bullying behaviour since discussing it with their boss.
A common reason why people fail to complain about office bullying is a fear of making the situation worse. After all, tension and friction between colleagues rarely stay between those involved!
One in five respondents were concerned about other colleagues thinking they were overreacting, with a further one in ten failing to speak-up because the incident involved their friend.
And it’ll probably come as no surprise that this sort of behaviour is affecting our out-of-hours life with people even being excluded from work social outings.
One in five employees admitted that they dread going into work because of the culture that has been created, with as many saying that it affects their out-of-hours life – especially when it comes to their sleep.
However, the horrible behaviour could also be a cause of mental health problems. Over 12% of men polled were diagnosed with anxiety, depression, or signed off-work due to stress from a bullying incident.
As you can see, workplace bullying can have a major impact on staff wellbeing and the entire working environment. So, if you spot a co-worker feeling down or notice that certain employees are picking on others, try to resolve the situation to create a happier (and more productive) office space.
