Workplace Bullying at Work: Protecting Mental Health and Building Respectful Teams
A workplace can look calm from the outside and still feel unsafe to the people inside it. Bullying often hides in “just joking,” constant criticism, exclusion from information, public shaming, or pressure so intense that a person starts dreading each workday.
Workplace bullying is not a minor personality clash. It can affect mental health, damage trust, lower productivity, and push skilled people out of organisations. It also creates a wider culture of silence, where others see harmful behaviour and decide it is safer not to speak.
A 2022 report by the International Labour Organization, Lloyd’s Register Foundation, and Gallup found that nearly 23% of employed people worldwide had experienced violence or harassment at work.
That figure should make every team pause. Bullying is common enough that many people have either experienced it, witnessed it, or worried they might be next. The good news is that organisations can prevent it. Employees can also take practical steps to protect themselves and seek support.
What workplace bullying looks like in daily work
Workplace bullying is repeated, unreasonable behaviour that creates a risk to someone’s health, safety, dignity, or ability to work. It may come from a manager, a colleague, a client, or a group.
It can be direct and obvious, such as yelling, insults, or threats. It can also be subtle and hard to prove.
Common examples include:
Repeatedly belittling someone’s work in front of others
Spreading rumours or encouraging others to exclude a person
Giving impossible deadlines, then blaming the person for failing
Withholding key information needed to do the job
Taking credit for someone’s work
Mocking accents, appearance, disability, age, caring responsibilities, religion, race, gender, or other personal traits
Constantly changing expectations so the person cannot succeed
Sending aggressive messages outside working hours
Using performance management as punishment rather than support
Bullying is different from fair management. A manager can give firm feedback, set high standards, and address poor performance without humiliating or targeting anyone. The difference is respect, fairness, and consistency.
A useful test is this: Would the behaviour seem acceptable if everyone in the team could see it clearly and repeatedly? If the answer is no, the behaviour needs attention.
The mental health impact can be serious
Bullying wears people down. At first, someone may feel confused or embarrassed. They may wonder if they are overreacting. Over time, the stress can become physical and emotional.
Research links workplace bullying with increased risk of anxiety, depression, sleep problems, burnout, headaches, digestive issues, and loss of confidence. People may become hyper-alert, checking every message for hidden criticism or replaying conversations long after work ends.
The effects often follow people home. A person who is bullied at work may become withdrawn with family, lose interest in social activities, or struggle to rest. The mind stays on duty, preparing for the next attack.
Consider this common real-life pattern.
Maya, a capable team coordinator, started receiving harsh comments from a senior colleague after she raised a concern about workload. The colleague began correcting her in group chats, leaving her out of updates, and saying she was “too sensitive” when she asked for clarity. Within months, Maya stopped speaking in team discussions. She began waking at 3 a.m. and checking messages before breakfast. Her work quality dipped, not because she lacked skill, but because fear had taken over her attention.
That is one of the most damaging parts of bullying. It can make strong employees look disengaged, careless, or difficult when they are actually trying to survive.
This post is informational and supportive. It is not a substitute for medical, legal, or mental health advice. Anyone experiencing severe distress, panic, depression, or thoughts of self-harm should seek qualified support as soon as possible.
Bullying harms productivity and business performance
Some organisations treat bullying as a personal conflict between two people. That view misses the wider cost.
Bullying affects productivity in several ways:
People spend time managing fear instead of doing focused work
Decision-making slows because employees avoid speaking honestly
Absenteeism rises when people feel unwell or unsafe
Presenteeism increases when people show up but cannot perform well
Turnover grows as employees leave to protect their health
Teams become less creative because mistakes feel dangerous
Managers lose time dealing with complaints, conflict, and replacement hiring
The impact also spreads beyond the person targeted. Witnesses learn what behaviour is tolerated. If a team sees someone punished for raising concerns, people stop raising concerns. That silence can hide risks, mistakes, safety issues, poor customer treatment, and unethical conduct.
A Workplace Bullying Institute survey in the United States has reported that a significant share of workers have experienced bullying directly, while many more have witnessed it. Although rates vary by country, industry, and survey method, the pattern is consistent: bullying is not rare, and it carries a real organisational cost.
Here is another example.
A warehouse supervisor regularly mocked workers who asked safety questions, calling them slow or weak. At first, people laughed nervously. Later, they stopped reporting near misses. One employee used damaged equipment because they did not want to be ridiculed. The issue only came to light after an injury. The supervisor’s behaviour had not just hurt morale. It had made the workplace less safe.
Bullying does not improve performance. It creates compliance, fear, and short-term silence. Those are not the same as quality work.
What employees can do if they are being bullied
No employee should have to solve bullying alone. Still, practical steps can help create a clearer record, reduce isolation, and open routes to support.
Name the behaviour clearly
Bullying often thrives in confusion. Writing down what happened can help separate facts from self-doubt.
Instead of “They were horrible again,” record:
Date and time
What was said or done
Who was present
How it affected the work
Any messages, files, or tasks connected to the incident
Keep the record factual. Avoid insults or emotional labels in the notes. A clear timeline is more useful if the issue needs to be raised formally.
Save evidence where appropriate
Keep relevant emails, messages, meeting notes, task changes, or screenshots. Follow company rules and local laws when storing information. Do not access private systems or share confidential material in unsafe ways.
If the bullying happens verbally, write a short note soon after the event while details are fresh.
Seek support early
Isolation makes bullying more harmful. A trusted colleague, manager, union representative, employee assistance programme, HR contact, mentor, or counsellor can help.
A simple opening can be enough:
“I need to talk about a pattern of behaviour that is affecting my health and my work. I have written down some examples. Can we discuss the safest next step?”
If the bully is a direct manager, it may be better to speak with HR, a skip-level manager, a union representative, or another formal support channel.
Use policies and reporting channels
Most organisations have policies on bullying, harassment, discrimination, grievances, and health and safety. Read the policy before making a complaint so the report follows the right steps.
A strong report focuses on behaviour and impact:
What happened
How often it happened
Who was involved
Who witnessed it
How it affected work, health, or safety
What outcome would help stop the behaviour
Protect health while the issue is handled
People often wait until they are exhausted before asking for help. It is better to act earlier.
Support may include:
Speaking with a GP, counsellor, or mental health professional
Requesting temporary adjustments
Taking sick leave if medically needed
Reducing unnecessary contact with the bully where possible
Avoiding one-to-one conversations if they feel unsafe
Asking for written instructions instead of unclear verbal demands
If there is any threat of violence, stalking, discrimination, or retaliation, seek urgent help through appropriate internal and external channels.
What employers should do to prevent bullying
Employers set the tone. Policies matter, but behaviour matters more. Staff judge an organisation by what leaders allow, excuse, reward, and ignore.
Build a clear anti-bullying policy
A good policy should define bullying in plain language and give examples. It should explain how to report concerns, what happens after a report, and how the organisation protects people from retaliation.
The policy should also cover remote and hybrid work. Bullying can happen through video calls, messaging apps, emails, rosters, work allocation, and exclusion from digital channels.
Train managers to respond early
Many bullying problems grow because managers avoid difficult conversations. They may dismiss behaviour as “style,” “pressure,” or “banter.” That creates risk.
Managers need training to:
Recognise bullying and harassment
Give feedback without humiliation
Handle complaints fairly
Notice changes in behaviour or performance
Stop retaliation
Document concerns properly
Refer employees to support
A manager does not need to be a therapist or legal expert. They do need to act promptly, respectfully, and consistently.
Make reporting safe
Employees will not speak up if reporting feels dangerous. Anonymous channels can help, but they are not enough. People need to see that reports lead to fair action.
Safe reporting includes:
Multiple ways to raise concerns
Clear response timelines
Confidential handling where possible
Protection from retaliation
Updates for the person who reports
Fair process for everyone involved
False or malicious complaints can occur, but they are not a reason to ignore genuine concerns. A fair process protects all parties by focusing on evidence, behaviour, and proportionate action.
Measure culture, not just output
High results can hide harmful behaviour. A team may hit targets while people burn out, resign, or stay silent.
Employers should look at:
Turnover patterns
Exit interview themes
Sick leave trends
Employee survey results
Grievance data
Reports of conflict or incivility
Whether certain teams produce repeated complaints
If one “high performer” leaves a trail of distressed colleagues, missed warnings, and resignations, the organisation has a leadership problem.
Respond with real consequences
Respectful workplaces need accountability. If bullying is confirmed, responses may include coaching, mediation where safe, formal warnings, role changes, or dismissal, depending on severity and policy.
Do not force mediation when there is a serious power imbalance, fear, discrimination, or ongoing harm. Mediation can help some conflicts, but bullying is not always a mutual misunderstanding.
Open dialogue helps prevent silence and shame
Dialogue does not mean asking employees to share painful experiences in public. It means creating regular, safe ways to talk about respect, pressure, workload, and behaviour before problems become severe.
Leaders can start with simple questions:
What behaviours help people do their best work here?
What behaviours make people feel unsafe or dismissed?
Do people feel able to challenge decisions respectfully?
Are jokes or comments ever crossing a line?
What happens when someone raises a concern?
Where do people go when they need help?
Teams can also agree on shared norms. For example:
Criticise work, not people
Give feedback privately where possible
Do not use humiliation as motivation
Invite quieter voices into discussions
Treat mistakes as learning opportunities unless there is misconduct
Challenge disrespect when it happens
Open dialogue works best when leaders model it. A senior person who says, “I interrupted you earlier, and I apologise,” sends a powerful message. Respect is not a poster on the wall. It is a habit people practise in ordinary moments.
A safe workplace is a shared responsibility
Workplace bullying at work damages mental health, productivity, trust, and safety. It can make talented people doubt themselves and make teams afraid to speak honestly. The cost is personal, cultural, and financial.
Employees can protect themselves by documenting behaviour, seeking support, using reporting channels, and caring for their health. Employers can prevent harm by setting clear standards, training managers, protecting people who speak up, and acting when behaviour crosses the line.
The most respectful workplaces do not wait for a crisis. They talk openly about behaviour, listen when people raise concerns, and treat psychological safety as part of everyday work.
A better culture starts with a simple standard: people should be able to do their work without fear, humiliation, or targeted harm. That standard is reasonable, practical, and worth defending.
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