Bullying’s a problem that cuts across all job and salary levels
Seems like bullying is an equal-opportunity torment.
Recent CareerBuilder research shows that 28% of workers have felt bullied at work — and nearly one in five (19%) left their jobs because of it.
And while bullying seems to affect certain minorities and workers with lower incomes more frequently than other groups, the study found that workers in management roles, those with post-secondary education and other workforce segments are not immune to bullying.
In other words, anybody can be a potential bullying victim.
Minorities continue to face challenges in being treated fairly and equally in the workplace, according to the study. Forty-four percent of physically disabled workers have felt bullied at the office. Thirty percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workers shared this sentiment.
Comparing genders, female workers were significantly more likely to experience bullying at work (34%) than their male counterparts (22%).
Comparing racial segments, 27% percent of African American workers and 25% of Hispanic workers said they have been bullied at work compared to 24 percent of Caucasian males.
Happening right under our noses
Of those who reported being bullied at some point in their careers, nearly one in four (24%) said the bullying is taking place right now, in their present jobs. Surprisingly, bullied workers in management roles were the most likely to report this.
While high school graduates who have not received any further education had a higher tendency to feel pressured by a bully, nearly one in four workers (23%) who have been bullied and have bachelor’s degrees or higher reported that the bullying is taking place in their present jobs.
The percentage of workers earning less than $50,000 annually who said they are being bullied was nine percentage points higher than those earning $50,000 or more.
Breakdown by position, education, salary
Of those who reported being bullied at some point in their careers, the percentages that said that they are currently being bullied break down as follows:
Job Level
- Management (manager, director, team leader, vice president and above) – 27%
- Professional and technical – 21%, and
- Entry-level/administrative and clerical – 26%.
Level of Education
- High school graduate – 28%
- Associate’s degree – 21%, and
- Bachelor’s degree or higher – 23%.
Compensation Level
- Earning less than $50,000 – 28%, and
- Earning $50,000 or more – 19%.
Who Are the Bullies?
Of workers who felt bullied, 45% said the main culprit was the boss, while 25% said the person was higher up in the organization, but not the boss. Forty-six percent pointed to a co-worker.
More than half (53%) of workers who were bullied said the aggressor was someone older; 25% were bullied by someone younger.
Most of the situations involved one person, but nearly one in five workers (19%) who were bullied said the incidents took place in a group setting where more than one person partook in the bullying.
What is bullying behavior, anyway?
Study respondents were asked exactly what kinds of bullying behavior they’d suffered. Here’s a sampling:
- Falsely accused of mistakes he/she didn’t make – 43%
- Comments were ignored, dismissed or not acknowledged – 41%
- A different set of standards or policies was used for the worker – 37%
- Gossip was spread about the worker – 34%
- Constantly criticized by the boss or co-workers – 32%
- Belittling comments were made about the person’s work during meetings – 29%
- Yelled at by the boss in front of co-workers – 27%
- Purposely excluded from projects or meetings – 20%
- Credit for his/her work was stolen – 20%, and
- Picked on for personal attributes (race, gender, appearance, etc.) – 20%.
Dealing with an offender
In a recent post, we outlined Christine Comaford’s six-step plan for a conversation managers must have with workplace bullies:
- Set the stage. Managers should explain why the meeting’s been called and the outcome they want to achieve
- Lay out the observable behavior. It’s crucial that managers describe specific instances where the bully acted out or said something inappropriate
- Describe the impact. Bullies likely don’t understand the damage their behaviors are doing to both their co-workers and the company
- See if the bully agrees with you. Does the bully now see the problem and acknowledge it needs to stop?
- Create a plan. Work out a set period of time (maybe 30 to 60 days) where the manager will meet with the worker once a week to check on progress. The key here: Be specific. Managers should be clear on which behaviors need to stop. Also, supervisors must state the consequences if a turnaround doesn’t occur.
- Make sure you’re on the same page. Does the bully understand everything? Also, managers should make it clear they want the bully to succeed and continue the working relationship.
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