SHRM Survey Findings: Workplace Bullying February 28, 2012

Definitions Workplace bullying: Persistent, offensive, abusive, intimidating or insulting behavior or unfair actions directed at another individual, causing the recipient to feel threatened, abused, humiliated or vulnerable. Workplace bullies and targets may be employees, clients or vendors of the affected organization. Target: The person toward whom the bullying behavior is directed.

Key Findings Are organizations experiencing workplace bullying? About one-half (51%) of organizations reported that there had been incidents of bullying in their workplace. Compared with two years ago, most organizations indicated that incidents of bullying had either stayed the same (48%) or decreased in frequency (34%), while 18% reported an increase in frequency of bullying. Which bullying behaviors are most common? Among organizations that experienced incidents of bullying, nearly three-quarters (73%) reported verbal abuse, three out of five (62%) reported malicious gossiping and/or spreading lies/rumors about workers, and one-half (50%) reported threats or intimidation. Do HR professionals experience bullying? About one-quarter (27%) of HR professionals reported having been bullied in the workplace. Of those who had been bullied, more than one-half (57%) had reported their experiences to someone in the organization. What are the outcomes of workplace bullying? The three most common outcomes of bullying incidents that organizations experienced were decreased morale (68%), increased stress and/or depression levels (48%) and decreased trust among co-workers (45%).

Workplace Bullying Incidents of Bullying in the Workplace Policies and Prevention/Awareness Training Response to Incidents HR’s Responsibility Typical Reporting Channels/Mechanisms Bullying Behaviors and Targets Outcomes of Bullying

Has your organization ever experienced an incident of workplace bullying? Note: n = 265. Respondents who answered “don’t know/not sure” were excluded from this analysis.

Differences based on organization staff size Has your current organization ever experienced an incident of workplace bullying? Comparisons by organization staff size Larger organizations (500 -2,499 employees) are more likely to have experienced an incident of workplace bullying than smaller organizations (1-499 employees). Small organizations Large organizations Differences based on organization staff size 1 to 99 employees (38%) 100 to 499 employees (42%) 500 to 2,499 employees (71%) Larger organizations > smaller organizations

  Compared with two years ago, have incidents of workplace bullying in your organization...? Note: n = 105. Respondents who answered “not sure/don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations had experienced an incident of workplace bullying were asked this question.

Does your organization have a formal (written, documented) workplace bullying policy?

  How is your organization’s workplace bullying policy communicated to employees? Note: n = 166. Only respondents whose organizations had a workplace bullying policy were asked this question.

How is your organization’s workplace bullying policy communicated to employees? Comparisons by organization staff size Larger organizations (2,500-24,999 employees) are more likely than smaller organizations (1-99 employees) to communicate their workplace bullying policy through the company intranet or website. Small organizations Large organizations Differences based on organization staff size 1 to 99 employees (8%) 2,500 to 24,999 employees (45%) Larger organizations > smaller organizations Comparisons by organization sector Publicly owned for-profit organizations are more likely than privately owned for-profit organizations to communicate their workplace bullying policy through the company intranet or website. Publicly owned for-profit organizations Privately owned for-profit organizations Differences based on organization sector 52% 13% Publicly owned for-profit > privately owned for-profit Privately owned for-profit organizations are more likely than publicly owned for-profit organizations to communicate their workplace bullying policy in the employee handbook. Publicly owned for-profit organizations Privately owned for-profit organizations Differences based on organization sector 56% 91% Privately owned for-profit > publicly owned for-profit

To what employees does your organization provide bullying prevention and/or awareness training? Note: Respondents who answered “not applicable” were excluded from this analysis.

Differences based on organization staff size To what employees does your organization provide bullying prevention and/or awareness training? Comparisons by organization staff size Larger organizations (25,000 or more employees) are more likely than smaller organizations (1-499 employees) to provide bullying prevention and/or awareness training to nonmanagement employees. Small organizations Large organizations Differences based on organization staff size 1 to 99 employees (23%) 100 to 499 employees (21%) 25,000 or more employees (60%) Larger organizations > smaller organizations

  How does or would your organization respond to alleged perpetrators of bullying? Note: n = 305. Respondents who answered “N/A, the organization typically does not respond to allegations of bullying and/or has not had any reported incidents of bullying” were excluded from this analysis. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.

How does or would your organization respond to alleged perpetrators of bullying? Comparisons by organization sector Government agencies are more likely than privately owned for-profit organizations to respond to allegations of bullying by placing an alleged perpetrator on paid administrative leave. Privately owned for-profit organizations Government agencies Differences based on organization sector 2% 13% Government > privately owned for-profit

  Who is responsible for handling the organization’s response to workplace bullying? Note: n = 316. Respondents who answered “N/A, no set responsibility” were excluded from this analysis. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.

Differences based on organization staff size Who is responsible for handling the organization’s response to workplace bullying? Comparison by organization staff size Larger organizations (2,500 or more employees) are more likely than smaller organizations (1-99 employees) to report that legal counsel is responsible for handling the organization’s response to workplace bullying. Small organizations Large organizations Differences based on organization staff size 1 to 99 employees (3%) 2,500 to 24,999 employees (20%) 25,000 or more employees (25%) Larger organizations > smaller organizations

Who is responsible for handling the organization’s response to workplace bullying? (continued) Comparisons by organization sector Publicly owned for-profit organizations and privately owned for-profit organizations are more likely than government agencies to report that the HR department/function is responsible for handling the organization’s response to workplace bullying. Publicly owned for-profit organizations Privately owned for-profit organizations Government agencies Differences based on organization sector 93% 91% 65% Publicly owned for-profit, privately owned for-profit > government Government agencies are more likely to report that legal counsel is responsible for handling the organization’s response to workplace bullying compared with privately owned for-profit organizations. Privately owned for-profit organizations Government agencies Differences based on organization sector 10% 30% Government > privately owned for-profit Government agencies are more likely to report that the security department is responsible for handling the organization’s response to workplace bullying compared with privately owned for-profit organizations. Privately owned for-profit organizations Government agencies Differences based on organization sector 4% 17% Government > privately owned for-profit

To what extent does your current organization: Note: Respondents who answered “not applicable” were excluded from this analysis. Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding.

  In your opinion as an HR professional, to what extent should it be HR’s responsibility to step in (to investigate, document, discipline, etc.) when bullying is reported or suspected in the workplace? n = 338

  Through what channels or to whom within your organization are incidents of bullying typically reported? Note: n = 129. Only respondents whose organizations had experienced an incident of workplace bullying were asked this question. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.

Through what channels or to whom within your organization are incidents of bullying typically reported? Comparisons by organization staff size Larger organizations (25,000 or more employees) are more likely than smaller organizations (100-499 employees) to typically report incidents of bullying to other management-level staff (nonexecutive). Small organizations Large organizations Differences based on organization staff size 100 to 499 employees (18%) 25,000 or more employees (71%) Larger organizations > smaller organizations Smaller organizations (1-99 employees) are more likely than larger organizations (500-2,499 employees) to typically report incidents of bullying to the CEO, president or owner. Small organizations Large organizations Differences based on organization staff size 1 to 99 employees (29%) 500 to 2,499 employees (6%) Smaller organizations > larger organizations Larger organizations (25,000 or more employees) are more likely than smaller organizations (1-99 employees) to typically report incidents of bullying through a hotline or other reporting system. Small organizations Large organizations Differences based on organization staff size 1 to 99 employees (4%) 25,000 or more employees (71%) Larger organizations > smaller organizations

Through what channels or to whom within your organization are incidents of bullying typically reported? (continued) Comparisons by organization staff size (continued) Larger organizations (25,000 or more employees) are more likely than smaller organizations (100-499 employees) to typically report incidents of bullying to the security department. Small organizations Large organizations Differences based on organization staff size 100 to 499 employees (3%) 25,000 or more employees (29%) Larger organizations > smaller organizations Comparisons by organization sector Publicly owned for-profit organizations are more likely to typically report incidents of bullying to the security department compared with privately owned for-profit organizations. Publicly owned for-profit organizations Privately owned for-profit organizations Differences based on organization sector 13% 1% Publicly owned for-profit > privately owned for-profit

  Which of the following bullying behaviors have occurred in your workplace? Note: n = 129. Only respondents whose organizations had experienced an incident of workplace bullying were asked this question. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.

Which of the following bullying behaviors have occurred in your workplace? Comparisons by organization staff size Larger organizations (25,000 or more employees) are more likely than smaller organizations (1 -499 employees) to have experienced use of technology for bullying (bullying behaviors occurring via email, text messages, Twitter, Facebook, etc.). Small organizations Large organizations Differences based on organization staff size 1 to 99 employees (4%) 100 to 499 employees (10%) 25,000 or more employees (71%) Larger organizations > smaller organizations Comparisons by organization sector Government agencies and privately owned for-profit organizations are more likely to have experienced cruel comments or teasing, such as about appearance or lifestyle, compared with nonprofit organizations. Privately owned for-profit organizations Nonprofit organizations Government agencies Differences based on organization sectors 56% 19% 71% Government, privately owned for-profit > nonprofit

  What relationships have been involved in reported incidents of bullying in your organization? Note: n = 127. Only respondents whose organizations had experienced an incident of workplace bullying were asked this question. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.

  What has your organization experienced as outcomes of the bullying incident(s)? Note: n = 104. Only respondents whose organizations had experienced an incident of workplace bullying were asked this question. Respondents who answered “N/A, not aware of any effects or outcomes” were excluded from this analysis. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.

What has your organization experienced as outcomes of the bullying incident(s)? Comparisons by organization sector Nonprofit organizations are more likely than privately owned for-profit organizations to report experiencing complaints about increased stress and/or depression levels as a result of workplace bullying incidents. Privately owned for-profit organizations Nonprofit organizations Differences based on organization sector 41% 77% Nonprofit > privately owned for-profit

Workplace Bullying Targeted at HR Professionals Incidents of Bullying Perpetrators Incident Reporting

Have you ever been bullied in the workplace in your role as an HR professional?

By whom were you targeted? Note: n = 90. Only respondents who had been a target of workplace bullying in their role as an HR professional were asked this question. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.

Did you report your experiences to anyone in the organization? Note: n = 90. Only respondents who had been a target of workplace bullying in their role as an HR professional were asked this question.

  What was the level of the person(s) in the organization to whom you reported the incident(s)? Note: n = 50. Only respondents who had reported being a target of workplace bullying in their role as an HR professional were asked this question. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.

Demographics

Demographics: Organization Industry Manufacturing 22% Health care and social assistance 12% Professional, scientific and technical services Finance and insurance 10% Educational services 8% Transportation and warehousing 6% Public administration Retail trade 5% Construction of buildings; heavy and civil engineering construction; specialty trade contractors 4% Accommodation and food services 3% Wholesale trade Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services Religious, grant-making, civic, professional and similar organizations Mining Arts, entertainment, and recreation 2% Real estate and rental and leasing Utilities Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting Information, publishing industries 1% Management of companies and enterprises Repair and maintenance Personal and laundry services 0% Private households Other services except public administration Note: n = 326. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.

Demographics: Organization Sector

Demographics: Organization Staff Size Note: n = 319. Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding.

Demographics: Other Is your organization a single-unit company or a multi-unit company? Does your organization have U.S.-based operations (business units) only or does it operate multinationally? Single-unit company: A company in which the location and the company are one and the same. 34% Multi-unit company: A company that has more than one location. 66% U.S.-based operations only 77% Multinational operations 24% n = 327 n = 331 Are HR policies and practices determined by the multi-unit corporate headquarters, by each work location or both? What is the HR department/function for which you responded throughout this survey? Multi-unit headquarters determines HR policies and practices 49% Each work location determines HR policies and practices 4% A combination of both the work location and the multi-unit headquarters determine HR policies and practices 47% Corporate (company wide) 64% Business unit/division 18% Facility/location n = 226 n = 226 Note: Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.

SHRM Survey: Workplace Bullying Methodology Response rate = 15% Sample composed of 401 randomly selected HR professionals from SHRM’s membership Margin of error +/- 5% Survey fielded May 9-27, 2011 For more poll findings, visit www.shrm.org/surveys Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SHRM_Research