Government statistics have revealed high levels of bullying, dissatisfaction and low morale among workers across Whitehall and the Civil Service.
At the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), a third of around 75,000 employees did not believe their working environment was “healthy and safe”.
The Public and Commercial Services union said it was unsurprised at the high levels of dissatisfaction in the DWP. It argued that job cuts and insecurity had caused staff morale to take a hammering.
It also warned that many workers in the department, where some 30,000 jobs are being cut as part of the Gershon efficiency reforms, had little or no confidence in their senior management.
Nearly half of all Department for Transport civil servants said they were “seriously considering” leaving to take another job in the next 12 months, while 13% said they had experienced bullying or harassment.
The Department for Education and Skills had the worst record on bullying and harassment, with 15% of staff saying they had suffered in the past 12 months.
In the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 14% of workers reported being bullied or harassed in the last year, with a similar percentage at the Home Office.
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Levels of bullying by managers in government departments in the past year
| Department for Education and Skills | 15% |
| Home Office | 14% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 14% |
| Department of Transport | 13% |
| Office of the Deputy Prime Minister | 10% |
| Cabinet Office | 9% |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 8% |
