1. SHRM Survey Findings: Workplace Bullying
February 28, 2012

2. 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.

3. 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%).

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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

7.   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.

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

9.   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.

10. 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

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

12. 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

13.   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.

14. 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

15.   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.

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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.

19.   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

20.   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.

21. 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 ( 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

22. 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 ( 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

23.   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.

24. 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 ( employees) to have experienced use of technology for bullying (bullying behaviors occurring via , 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

25.   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.

26.   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.

27. 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

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

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

30. 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.

31. 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.

32.   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.

33. Demographics

34. 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.

35. Demographics: Organization Sector

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

37. 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.

38. 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
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