One-third of employees say they’ve worked with a bully, survey shows

Menlo Park, CA – More than 35 percent of people have worked with a bully, and 27 percent of human resources managers say workplace bullying occurs “at least somewhat often” at their company, according to research from staffing firm OfficeTeam.

Researchers surveyed more than 300 workers and more than 300 HR managers. Nearly one-third of workers (32 percent) reported they had confronted an office bully, 27 percent said they told their manager about the bully, and 17 percent did nothing about the situation.

Other findings included:

• 38 percent of HR managers said bullying never occurs at their workplace.
• 6 percent said it occurs “very often,” and 21 percent said it occurs “somewhat often.”
• 13 percent of workers said they quit because of a bully.

OfficeTeam provides the following tips for dealing with a workplace bully:

• Display confidence.
• Talk with the bully. He or she may be unaware how his or her behavior comes across.
• Stay calm.
• Document the bullying behavior.
• If you cannot solve the problem yourself, tell your supervisor or the HR department.