Survey finds cyber-bullying rife in UK business
23 July 1007
On the day that the Dignity at Work
Partnership launches a booklet setting out the business case for
tackling bullying at work, new independent research has revealed
that cyber-bullying is becoming increasingly common in the
workplace.
A fifth of respondents – all UK workers - have
been bullied by email in their current or previous jobs, and 6.2
per cent have been bullied via a text message. Almost nine per cent
believe that cyber-bullying is a problem in their current
organisation.
The increased use of communications tools such
as Blackberries is also making cyber-bullying a problem outside
working hours, according to 13 per cent of respondents.
Workplace bullying is estimated to cost UK
employers more than £2 billion a year in sick pay, staff turnover
and loss of production. The new research shows how widespread the
problem is, spanning all industry sectors, regions and age
groups.
The survey also found that many employees do
not know what to do if they experience bullying at work. While
almost half would go to senior management and a quarter to their HR
department and/or their union, six per cent of people would take
revenge on the bully. Almost ten per cent said they would do
nothing and four per cent would simply leave their job.
Those who provided additional comments showed
responses ranging from strong aggression (‘confront them’; ‘a
single accurate punch’) to passivity (‘nothing I could
do’).
The extent of cyber-bullying varies
significantly by sector: the survey found it to be more prevalent
in sales, media and marketing and telecoms, while in retail
bullying was reported as being primarily face-to-face.
“Bullying in the workplace can destroy
peoples’ lives,” says Mandy Telford, Dignity at Work coordinator
for trade union Unite (formerly Amicus). “It also has a direct
impact on an organisation’s bottom line, and we hope that making
the financial impact clear will help management and HR staff build
a business case for tackling the issue.
“Our project aims to tackle workplace bullying
in partnership with employers. We hope that showing the financial
impact of bullying will encourage them to develop their own
anti-bullying policies, benefiting both their staff and their
bottom line.”
The new booklet sets out the business case for
tackling bullying at work, examines what has worked for other
organisations, provides recommendations for preventing the issue
arising and advises employers how to address it if problems
occur.
Dignity at Work is also running a series of
free seminars around the country on how to tackle bullying at
work.
‘The Role of Trade Unions and the Business
Case for Tackling Bullying’ is available free of charge within
the UK. Anyone who would like a copy should email Mandy Telford on
mandy.telford@amicustheunion.org
or request a copy via the Dignity at Work website at www.dignityatwork.org/contact-us.htm
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Dignity at Work Partnership is the world’s largest
anti-bullying at work initiative, and is jointly funded by trade
union Unite (formerly Amicus) and the DTI. Workplace bullying is
estimated to cost UK employers more than £2 billion a year in sick
pay, staff turnover and loss of production. Organisations who have
signed up to Dignity at Work include BAe Systems, BT: Connect,
Legal & General and Royal Mail.
The research surveyed 1072 workers across the
UK. Online research was used as previous surveys have found that
people are reluctant to discuss their experience of bullying in
face-to-face or telephone interviews.
The dates and venues for the seminars are as
follows:
Manchester Tuesday 4 September
Belfast Wednesday 5 September
Norwich Thursday 6 September
Plymouth Tuesday 18 September
London Wednesday 19 September
Southampton Thursday 20 September
Coventry Tuesday 2 October
More information is available at http://www.dignityatwork.org/
For further information please
contact:
Debbie Smith, Freshwater 0117 317 8135
Journalists who would like a copy of the
booklet should call Debbie Smith at Freshwater on 0117 317 8135 or
email dsmith@freshwater-uk.com