Workplace Bullying & Aggression

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We are developing an intervention and prevention program for workplace bullying.  

Content coming soon!

In the meantime, consider these thought provoking statistics:

• Over 48.6 million workers in the U.S. have experienced workplace bullying. 1
• Bullying is more prevalent than sexual harassment and occurs three times more often. 4
• 39% of American employees reported suffering from abusive conduct at work, which is up 9% from 2017. 1
• 19% of American employees have witnessed or are aware of bullying occurring in the workplace. 1
• Since COVID, 43.2% of Remote/virtual workers reported experiencing bullying. 1
• 60% of bullying cases involve the same gender.  Women targeting and bullying other women 65% of the time, which is nearly double the rate that men bully other men. 1
• Women tend to engage in more covert, indirect and relational aggression behaviors making it harder for the target to prove. 3,5,6
• Hispanics are more likely to be bullied on the job than other races. 1
• 46% of the targets are managers or mid-level leaders.; 45% of the targets hold non managerial roles. 1
• 63% of employer’s response to bullying complaints are to rationalize, deny, defend, encourage or discount the occurrences. 1
• Targets of workplace bullying often experience health complaints, declines in job performance, were more likely to leave their job, and take more sick days than individuals not exposed to bullying. 3
• 67% of targets experience negative outcomes resulting in separation from their jobs because of the perpetrators tactics. 1  
• Performance driven organizations place more emphasis on performance over people and are more likely to tolerate and even encourage aggressive behaviors like yelling or shouting at employees. 2
• Studies have found that an individual case of workplace bullying can cost an organization $30,000-$100,000. 7

1 Workplace Bullying Institute (2021).  US workplace bullying survey. WBI.  https://workplacebullying.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-Full-Report.pdf

2 Javidan M. (2004). Culture, leadership and organizations: The GLOBE study of 62 societies. p. 235–81. Thousand Oaks: Sage 

3 Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., & Notelaers, G. (2009). Measuring exposure to bullying and harassment at work: Validity, factor structure and psychometric properties of the negative acts questionnaire-revised. Work and Stress, 23, 24-44. 

4 Namie, G. (2003). Workplace bullying: Escalated incivility. Ivy Business Journal, 68(2), 1-6. 

5 Kaukiainen, A., Salmivalli, C., Björkqvist, K., Österman, K., Lahtinen, A., Kostamo, A., & Lagerspetz, K. (2001). Overt and covert aggression in work settings in relation to the subjective well-being of employees. Aggressive Behavior, 27, 360-371. 

6 Xie, H., Swift, D. J., Cairns, B., & Cairns, R. B. (2002). Aggressive behaviors in social interaction and developmental adaptation: A narrative analysis of interpersonal conflicts during early adolescence. Social Development, 11, 205-224. 

7 Rayner, C. (2000). Bullying at work: Workplace bullying survey of UNISON police support staff members. Staffordshire: Staffordshire University Business School.