Workplace bullying is a growing problem in Britain and many people are too afraid to speak up about it, according to a new study by Acas.
Bullying and harassment is any unwanted behaviour that makes someone feel intimidated, degraded, humiliated or offended. The Acas helpline has apparently received around 20,000 calls related to bullying and harassment over the past year, with some callers reporting that workplace bullying caused them to self-harm or consider suicide.
Acas' analysis showed that:
- Representative surveys of workplaces, health and safety representatives and employees all show that workplace bullying and ill-treatment is growing in Britain.
- There are more incidences of bullying within certain groups such as public sector minority ethnic workers; women in traditionally male-dominated occupations; workers with disabilities or long-term health problems; lesbian, gay and bisexual and transgender people; and workers in health care.
Calls to the Acas helpline around bullying revealed:
- Barriers to people making complaints, such as the fear that trying to do something about unwanted behaviour might make the situation worse.
- Ill-treatment from other staff often built up to the point where people dreaded going to work, their family and home life had been affected and many took leave to escape the workplace.
- Inexperienced employers can feel they lack the skills to go through complex grievance and disciplinary procedures that bullying allegations may involve.
- Managers alerted to bullying allegations can favour simply moving staff around rather than investigating and dealing with underlying behaviours.
"Our analysis reveals that bullying is on the rise in Britain and it is more likely to be found in organisations that have poor workplace climates where this type of behaviour can become institutionalised,” explained Acas Chair, Sir Brendan Barber.
"Businesses should be taking workplace bullying very seriously as the annual economic impact of bullying-related absences, staff turnover and lost productivity is estimated to be almost £18 billion," he added.
Contact our Solicitors
For further information on our services, please contact us today at our Stirling office on 01786 235 235, or at our Tillicoultry office on 01259 753330, to speak to our solicitors.