A Study Reveals Workplace Bullying is on the Rise

by Nov 26, 2015

A study conducted by the organization ACAS, which provides helpline support for victims of bullying in Britain, indicates that the cases of workplace bullying has in the country.

More and more employees have reported to ACAS that they have become victims of workplace bullies.  Despite being subjected to the abusive behavior, they were afraid to raise their concerns to a manager or the Human Resources Department for fear of retaliation.  This reaction is unfortunately common amongst many employees who were bullied at work.

The negative working environment has even prevented employees who experienced workplace bullying to dread going to work, according to data compiled by ACAS.  These bullied employees’ home and personal lives were also affected by the abusive conduct of workplace bullies.  Some victims have even opted to take time off from work or vacation leaves just to avoid being bullied at work.

ACAS’ study has even uncovered that many employers lack the necessary skills to handle grievances surrounding workplace bullying claims.  Sometimes managers who were informed of staff members who became workplace bully victims are rotating people around, thinking that the move will be enough to address the problem.  Unfortunately, this approach doesn’t always work.  It is best to address workplace bullying by dealing with the negative behavior, instilling a positive work culture and implementing the necessary policies to address workplace bullying.

To learn more about ACAS report, click here.  The article is also available at The HRDirector.com.

Do you know how much money chronically bad behavior costs your company? Spoiler alert – it’s a LOT higher than you want it to be. Download our data and worksheet to see how it’s costing your organization and what you can do to fix it.

 

About Catherine Mattice

Catherine Mattice, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP is President of consulting and training firm, Civility Partners, and has been successfully providing programs in workplace bullying and building positive workplaces since 2007. Her clients include Fortune 500’s, the military, several universities and hospitals, government agencies, small businesses and nonprofits. She has published in a variety of trade magazines and has appeared several times on NPR, FOX, NBC, and ABC as an expert, as well as in USA Today, Inc Magazine, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, and more. Catherine is Past-President of the Association for Talent Development (ATD), San Diego Chapter and teaches at National University. In his book foreword, Ken Blanchard called her book, BACK OFF! Your Kick-Ass Guide to Ending Bullying at Work, “the most comprehensive and valuable handbook on the topic.” She recently released a second book entitled, SEEKING CIVILITY: How Leaders, Managers and HR Can Create a Workplace Free of Bullying.

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