1 in 3 workers bullied by boss, says report

Around one-third of employees feel they have been bullied by their boss, according to new research.

The Employsure ‘State of Work’ research conducted by Roy Morgan also found that one-quarter of workers have cried because of their boss.

Research findings reveal bully bosses are widespread in Australian workplaces.

“The knock-on effect of the #MeToo Movement is that bullying awareness is increasing and employees have a greater awareness of their workplace rights, which makes workplace relations highly important for the success of a workplace,” said Senior Employment Relations Adviser Natalie Clark, Employsure.

“We need to be mindful that bullying isn’t just repeated name calling or intimidating behaviour. Sometimes it can be deliberately changing the roster because it inconveniences the employee, or continually overloading an employee with deadlines that are impossible to meet,” she said.

However, not all managers are bullies. Bosses can be seen to be horrible for being cold, distant, harsh or ‘bitchy’ — but this might just be personality clashes. Even if it is not bullying, the fact that an employee perceives it to be is problematic because it can cause cultural rifts, bullying claims and absenteeism in the workplace.

“The vast majority of employers are incredibly invested in creating a positive workplace and want employees to feel supported. These results reinforce what employers are telling Employsure — that they find it difficult to have conversations about performance because it is really easy for employees to claim they feel victimised or bullied,” said Clark.

Worryingly, the study also revealed more women have felt bullied by a boss compared to men. There may be multiple reasons for this, according to Clark.

“Women still experience gender bias and ideologies that they are somehow inferior to men in the workplace. It is particularly common in male-dominated industries such as IT, tech or construction,” she said.

The industries most prone to bullying bosses were farming and food (52.6%), education (40.6%), health and professional care (39.5%), and business professionals (37.2%).

Employers and managers are entitled to allocate work and to give fair feedback on an employee’s performance. These actions cannot be considered workplace bulling if they are carried out in a reasonable manner and take into account specific circumstances.

“Employers should provide clear instructions and training, ensure employees understand the business’s performance and disciplinary policies and procedures, and document all performance and disciplinary matters,” said Clark.

The State of Work survey was conducted by Roy Morgan in August 2018 with over 600 employees. The findings highlight the importance of investing in the relationships between employers and employees.

“We encourage all workplaces to review the effectiveness of their current bullying prevention initiatives,” Clark said.

Image courtesy of Employsure.