Nearly
one in five employees claim to have been bullied at least once in the last 12
months, with the highest rate of bullying among staff in the public healthcare
sector.
A
poll, conducted by Mercer HR, of more than 3,500 British workers spanned a range
of grades and seniority and discovered that one in 10 have been bullied several
times in the last year.
The
definition of bullying covered a range of behaviour from rude or discourteous
treatment to threats, intimidation and physical abuse.
Those
in public healthcare suffered most with 28 per cent reporting bullying while
the retail sector was the least affected with 18 per cent.
The
survey shows that men and women are equally likely to face bullying at work and
that rank is no protection, with 24 per cent of managers and 17 per cent of
senior managers admitting to being bullied.
For
advise on how to prevent bullying see www.andreaadamstrust.org
