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Research shows workplace harassment on the rise

23 January 2013

Workplace harassment is not a thing of the past and it is on the rise, according to a new survey, which shows 83% of employers have reported at least one case of harassment or bullying in the past two years.

Workplace harassment is not a thing of the past and it is on the rise, according to a new survey, which shows 83% of employers have reported at least one case of harassment or bullying in the past two years.

The figure represents an 11% rise since 2006, with line managers being the most likely perpetrators, and sexual harassment reported as frequently as physical intimidation or offensive emails.

The research, carried out online in September 2012 by XpertHR, received responses from HR professionals in 160 organisations, employing a total of 385,000 people.

XpertHR editor Charlotte Wolff, who also authored the report, said: "Our research found that bullying and harassment can seriously undermine many areas of working life. For instance, 21% said it had seriously affected manager-staff relationships, and six in ten (59%) said that this type of behaviour had depleted staff morale.

"However, giving managers appropriate training, and running employee awareness campaigns can effectively reduce the problem. We also found that the use of mediation, during an informal investigatory process is the most effective way to tackle cases once they have been exposed."

Other key findings of the research include:

• Bullying and harassment are most likely to manifest as undermining behaviour (at 54% of organisations). For instance, employees may complain that they are continually given too much work, or criticised in a manner that is designed to undermine their confidence.

• Cases of sexual harassment were reported at one in five employers (22%) over the past two years

• Co-workers were accused of bullying or harassment at 46% of employers, and senior managers at one in five (22%)

• Where organisations fail to be effective in tackling bullying and harassment, this is most likely to be due to a lack of trust in the reporting and investigatory process, poor examples set by senior leaders, lack of line manager training, no clear policy, or poor awareness of the issue among employees

• Factors most likely to help resolve bullying and harassment cases are mediation using trained mediators, awareness campaigns, development of communication skills, and early intervention by the employer.
 
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