Workplace Bullying is Widespread

The recent U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey 2007 conducted by the Workplace Bullying Institute and Zogby International involved online interviews of 7,740 adults.  The conclusions are telling:

• 37% of American workers, an estimated 54 million people, have been bullied at work;
• 49% of working Americans said they suffered or witnessed workplace bullying, including verbal abuse, job sabotage or destruction of workplace relationships
• bullying is 4 times more prevalent than illegal forms of "harassment
• 72% of bullies are bosses
• omen are targeted by bullies more frequently (in 57% of cases), especially by other women (in 71% of cases)
• Only 3% of bullied targets file lawsuits. 40% never complain
• Verbal abuse and behaviour/action are the most common forms of bullying (tied at 53%)

Reuters has an article (Bullying in the Workplace)

There's another recent survey in the UK by the Ban Bullying at Work campaign in conjunction with the Chartered Management Institute concluded that:

• Two-thirds of UK managers believe that lack of management skills is the major factor contributing to bullying at work
• The most prolific type of bullying is misuse of power, overbearing supervision and exclusion

Have a read of Workplace Bullying and Lack of Management Skills Contributes to Bullying in the Workplace. 

Have you read  The No Assholes Rule by Stanford's Bob Sutton who, by the way, discusses the Workplace Bullying Institute Survey on his blog at Workplace Bullying Survey: 37% of American Workers are Targets.   Professor Sutton says that he "is more ambivalent than Dr. Namie about the need for anti-bullying legislation, as I worry it will just add more work for lawyers and not provide much real protection." 

As I've written about here and here Quebec passed psychological harassment legislation  in 2004.  I've also written about dealing (or not dealing) with the workplace jerk here and here.   Whether you agree with Professor Sutton or not about the need for anti-bullying legislation one thing is certain - workplace bullying is, to state the obvious, an issue with profound business and personal implications.    Read Professor Sutton's eye opening book.