60% of bullied employees fall victim to their bosses says CareerBuilder

If you’re aware of bullying at your workplace, or are a victim yourself, you’re not alone. Sixty per cent of UK workers, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.co.uk, reveal they have been bullied by their boss and three in ten (30%) workers claim that they are currently experiencing bullying at the office.

The two most common ways workers report being bullied was getting blamed for mistakes they didn’t make (47%) and being constantly criticised (47%). Ignoring a colleague (36%) and belittling them during meetings (35%) are also common weapons used by the workplace bully.

More than half (56%) of victims did not report the bullying to their HR department and of those who were bullied, most pointed to incidents with their bosses (59%) or colleagues (41%). Six in ten (62%) said they were bullied by someone older than themselves and it wasn’t necessarily a colleague, as 6% of victims were bullied by customers.

Rosemary Haefner, Global VP of Human Resources, CareerBuilder, says:

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“How workers define bullying can vary considerably, but it is often tied to patterns of unfair treatment.

“Bullying can have a significant impact on both individual and company performance. It’s important to cite specific incidents when addressing the situation with the bully or a company authority and keep focused on finding a resolution.”

More than half (53%) of victims reported confronting the bully themselves, with varying results including 15% who said it got worse, and a further 43% who felt bullied reported it to their HR department. Of those who reported it, 20% said that action was taken while 23% said nothing was done.

If you’re feeling bullied in the workplace, CareerBuilder recommends to:

1. Keep record of all incidents of bullying, documenting places, times, what happened and who was present.
2. Consider talking to the bully, providing examples of how you felt treated unfairly. Chances are the bully may not be aware that he/she is making you feel this way.
3. Always focus on resolution. When sharing examples with the bully or a company authority, center the discussions around how to make the working situation better or how things could be handled differently.