Bully Bosses

More than two out of three people working in finance, insurance and/or banking appear to have been the victim of bullying at work, according to new research.

With an average of 12 per cent of the Australian workforce currently employed in these areas - approximately 850,000 people may have been affected by bullying in the workplace.

Sixty eight percent of the 1,450 respondents who work in the above areas stated they had been bullied according to a CoreData poll and commissioned by the employment website CareerOne in mid-July.

The study found bosses to be the main source of bullying behaviour, with 84% of respondents who had been bullied stating the perpetrator had been their manager or supervisor.

26.9% of people who do or have previously experienced bullying behaviour said it occurred on a daily basis, while 12.6% pointed to weekly and 2.5% to monthly intimidation.

The figures need to be read in context mind you, given the poll was specifically relating to bullying in the workplace, and is likely to have attracted people who themselves are or have been victims of bullying.

For financial services, in 49.7% of cases the bullying manifested in the form of intimidation, threats and/or verbal abuse.

Meanwhile 40.6% of victims said they had experienced unfair treatment in comparison to other colleagues or having been given work no one else wanted.

45.7% of victims dreaded coming to work and/or felt anxious at work, 50.3% said it negatively influenced their work and made them feel unmotivated, and lastly 30.3% of victims said they’d experienced headaches, backaches and/or stomach cramps as a result.

The potential indirect impacts for victims of bullying include high levels of absenteeism and turnover, diminished productivity, poor industrial relations, difficulties in recruiting and retaining valued staff, poor organisational reputation, and an increased level of grievance proceedings and litigation.

It has been reported that victims of bullying may have twice the rate of stress-related illnesses, increased levels of depression, lower self-esteem, becoming increasingly withdrawn over time, and suffering from concentration problems.