A recent survey conducted by law firm Wright Hassall ahead of End Workplace Bullying Day reveals that more than half of UK employees have either left or considered leaving a job due to workplace bullying.
The findings highlight a concerning issue within organisations – particularly for women, with 60 percent of female respondents stating they have been impacted by bullying from a manager or colleague. One in two women reported experiencing forms of bullying, including unfair criticism, being undermined, offensive jokes, and verbal abuse such as shouting in the workplace.
For many, these experiences have led to feelings of isolation and have forced employees to reconsider their roles.
The Impact of Bullying on Employee Retention
The data suggests that bullying behaviours are not isolated incidents but reflect a deeper cultural issue in the workplace. One in four employees reported feeling undermined or having their work discredited, with women being 24 percent more likely than men to experience this form of mistreatment. Additionally, nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents said they had received unfair criticism or blame, and 22 percent noted experiencing abrupt emails, with this behaviour affecting 25 percent of women compared to 18 percent of men.
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The impact of such behaviours is significant. More than one in ten employees have been subjected to offensive jokes (16%), verbal abuse (13%), and exclusion or isolation (13%). Women were more likely to feel isolated, with 37 percent more women than men reporting feelings of exclusion. The survey also found that 13 percent of employees had experienced rumours or false information being spread about them.
Tina Chander, Head of Employment at Wright Hassall, said, “It’s worrying to see that 50 percent of people have left or considered leaving a role because of bad behaviour, and with more women experiencing these types of behaviours, it’s no wonder more women want to leave a role.
“Many workplaces try and brush off some of these behaviours such as abrupt emails, isolation, or a joke that offends someone, but the reality is that these are bullying behaviours and more needs to be done to change the toxic culture of workplaces so that people are not suffering.”
Lack of Reporting and Ineffective Responses
Despite the prevalence of bullying, many employees choose not to report it. The survey found that 72 percent of those who had experienced workplace bullying did not report the incidents. Among those who did raise concerns, the majority were younger employees aged 18 to 34. However, reporting does not always lead to resolution—46 percent of those who reported bullying said that their complaints were either ignored, dismissed, or worsened the situation.
Men, in particular, faced challenges in reporting bullying. Over half (58%) of men who reported their experiences found that the situation was either made worse or ignored, compared to 41 percent of women. Chander described this as a “worrying finding”.
“Men don’t typically raise issues, but when they do, they experience that the situation is ignored or made worse. This worrying finding indicates workplaces need to do more for everyone,” she said.
The survey also highlighted age differences in the reporting of workplace bullying. Employees over 55 were the least likely to report experiencing bullying, with 64 percent of those aged 55-64 and 85 percent of employees aged 65 and above stating they had not encountered any bullying behaviours. Chander, however, cautioned against interpreting these figures as an indication that older employees experience less bullying.
“It’s unlikely that these age ranges have experienced less workplace bullying. What’s more likely is that younger people are now more aware of what workplace bullying actually is,” she said.
“Training is part of the solution. But organisations need to do more to cultivate a culture and have set processes that are widely understood if someone is experiencing bullying and/or harassment.”
Alessandra Pacelli is a journalist and author contributing to HRreview, where she covers topics including labour market trends, employment costs, and workplace issues.
- Alessandra Pacelli
- Alessandra Pacelli
- Alessandra Pacelli
- Alessandra Pacelli
