New research uncovers worrying West Midlands workplace bullying stats

Over half of UK employees think shouting at work isn’t bullying according to new research from a leading Midlands law firm.

New research on 1,026 employees in the UK found that around 50 per cent of people have either been bullied at work or have witnessed it (47.80 per cent of men and 59 per cent of women).

The research was conducted by Leamington law firm Wright Hassall, and, worryingly, found that 57 per cent of UK employees think that shouting at work doesn’t count as bullying.

Of those surveyed, 105 employees were based in the West Midlands, where 62 per cent of employees surveyed think that shouting at work doesn’t count as bullying.

The research also found that 35 per cent of people in the UK didn't think jokes about a person could be considered bullying, rising to 41 per cent of those surveyed in the West Midlands.

A total of 31.5 per cent of people UK-wide didn’t believe that exclusion from group meetings to be bullying behaviour, rising to 40 per cent in the West Midlands, and 63 per cent of people felt that abrupt emails wouldn’t be classed as bullying, almost in-line with 62 per cent in the West Midlands.

Alarmingly, one in 10 people (12 per cent) didn't think intimidation was bullying, and 21 per cent of people didn't think that spreading rumours about a person was bullying.

The statistics are even more concerning in the West Midlands, where a total of 22 per cent of those surveyed didn't think intimidation was bullying, and 28 per cent of people didn't think that spreading rumours about a person was bullying.

Finally, six per cent of people didn’t believe that any of the above-mentioned behaviours would be considered bullying, rising to 13 per cent in the West Midlands.

Tina Chander, Head of Employment law at Wright Hassall, said: “Workplaces that tolerate shouting from senior colleagues may write it off as people simply ‘being passionate’, but this behaviour can cause serious problems, especially if an employee decides to make a formal complaint and take the employer to a tribunal; the costs and reputation damage associated with this can be crippling.

“In today’s world, where there is so much more awareness about what behaviour is acceptable or not, it’s upsetting to see that 50 per cent of people have witnessed someone being bullied.

“Given that more women have experienced bullying compared to men, and fewer women know what to do, it’s time for workplaces to better communicate bullying reporting processes to them and make sure that everybody knows what support is available to them.

“At the very least, a workplace should have a bullying and harassment policy in place, but there’s no point in having a policy if no one is aware of it.”

When asked who was responsible for fixing the problem, the survey commissioned by Wright Hassall found that an overall 13 per cent of people weren’t sure.

Younger age groups of 18-24 and 25-34 across the UK put more emphasis on HR sorting out bullying (34.90 per cent and 37.10 per cent, respectively) than the older respondents, with 26.7 per cent thinking that HR should sort out bullying.

Tina Chander added: “It’s everyone’s responsibility to fix the problem of workplace bullying. HR plays a vital role, as do the leaders, but it’s up to colleagues to care for one another and speak up when behaviour is wrong. No one should suffer in silence.”