workplace bullying 101

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Workplace Bullying 101

What it is and who it impacts.

The experience of repeated and unwelcomed negative acts

That are intended to cause fear, distress or harm to the target

From one or more individuals in any source of power with the target

Where the target has difficulties defending him or herself.

Workplace bullying is…

Source: Bartlett, J. & Bartlett, M. (2011). Workplace bullying: An integratedliterature review.

Repeated.It is not a one-off unpleasant experience with a co-worker. It is consistent negative behavior that occurs on a consistent and regular basis.


Unwelcomed negative acts.Many targets report that the negative acts seem trivial at first. By the time they escalate to more serious acts, it may be difficult to solve the problem.


Intended to cause fear, distress, or harm.Negative feedback from your boss that is intended to improve performance is not bullying. Repeated humiliation by your boss in front of others may be.


From one or more individuals in any source of power. Bullies are not always bosses. They can be peers and subordinates.

Employees who are not part of a workplace clique are highly susceptible to being targeted.


The target has difficulty defending themselves.This is not a disagreement that can be solved with a conversation. It will likely not stop until (a) leadership steps in or (b) the target leaves the situation.


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Just The Facts15 workplace bullying data points

37%37% of American workers have been the target of workplace bullying. That’s 54 million people.

Source: Poll of 7,740 adult Americansconducted by Zogby International andthe Workplace Bullying Institute

x4Workplace bullying is four times more prevalent than illegal, discriminatory harassment.


31%In 31% of all workplace bullying cases, the bullies actually enjoy legal protection for their actions.


54%54% of all bullying occurs in front of a witness, though witnesses rarely speak up in support of the target.


60%60% of workplace bullies are men.


57%57% of the targets of workplace bullying are women.


71%In 71% of the cases where a female is the bully, their target is another woman.


50/50Male bullies show only a slight preference for targeting other men.


72%In 72% of all cases, the bully is the target’s boss.


55%In 55% of cases, the target of bullying does not supervise others. In 35% of cases, they are a manager. In 5% of cases, they are an executive.


40%40% of the time, targets do not tell anyone that they are being bullied.


46% / 37%Male targets (46%) are more likely than female targets (37%) to not report the bullying.


44%When reported, employers ignore the bullying in 44% of cases. In 18%, they take the side of the bully and worsen the situation.


73%73% of targets endure bullying for more than six months. 44% endure for more than one year.


41%41% of targets quit their jobs. 24% are fired. Total turnover is estimated to be 28 million workers.


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In Their Own WordsReal stories from former targets

“ It’s very disappointing when it [bullying] comes from people in a similar profession with qualifications to suggest that they have compassion, all the things that one would hope from somebody in that position, so again it shook a few myths.

Source: Lewis, S. (2006). Recognition of workplace bullying: A qualitative study of women targets in the public sector.

“ I could never have believed that management would aid and abet a bully and liar because they knew that she were lying and in order to protect her they lied themselves … It would have been much kinder if they’d blindfolded me and shot me at dawn, because they took away everything that I ever morally believed in. Everything that I’d given.


“ We thought there was something physically wrong because I was so ill, I was physically ill, and when I went through all the tests the doctor said: there’s nothing wrong with you, you either retire or change jobs.


“ I just didn’t think it [workplace bullying] was something that occurred and when you’re a grown mature woman you know it comes as a bit of a shock really. There was a lot of disbelief, which probably contributed to me not actually doing a great deal to kind of stop it.


“ One of the first things they said in the Industrial Tribunal: When you say that this started, why didn’t you keep a diary about it? And that was their immediate thing. But when you first are in that situation, you don’t think it’s bullying, you think there’s been a disagreement or a misunderstanding. And you wouldn’t dream of immediately getting out a diary and writing a blow by blow account and dating it and signing it.


“ I just kind of ignored it, you know, whatever, water on a duck’s back. . . . I never really thought of it as bullying . . . I thought, well, that person just has a difficult personality.

Source: Macintosh, J., Wuest, J. & Gray, M. (2010). Effects of workplace bullying on how women work.

“ I think primarily because it was very difficult for me to understand why this was happening. You know, I never had really experienced anything like that. I was 45 years old at the time. And, it was like, what the heck did I do? And the fact that I was performing very, very well—better than all of my predecessors—made me think, “Okay, is this really happening?” or, “Am I being ultrasensitive?” And then you realize that it is really happening. Then I went into a lot of the self-evaluation as to why—what I may have done to instigate this—which I never found anything.

Source: Hintz Klein, A. M. (2012). Does workplacebullying matter? A descriptive study of the lived experience of the female professional target

“ One woman was asked to write about the bullying and her bullies were also asked for written versions. In a meeting about it, “the [boss] in the end took the three versions and tore them up, and threw them in the garbage can, and said ‘Now, I want you to just go on with your work.’” This woman felt further abused by this response.

Source: Macintosh, J., Wuest, J. & Gray, M. (2010). Effects of workplace bullying on how women work.

“ The bottom line was, it progressively got to the point where I was under so many different accusations that threatened to not only ruin my reputation but take me down psychologically that I finally said, “I can’t do this anymore.”


“ I work in an agency that works with victims of domestic and sexual violence. And I finally—when it finally dawned on me that I was in a domestic abuse environment, I mean, it took me that long to figure it out—it took me a long time to figure it out. And I went on the Internet and I said, “Hey, I think I am in a domestic violence situation.” And, I looked it up and said, “Hey, look at all of these other websites that are showing—yes, look how close it is.” It said the very same thing except in a different venue.


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