Text only Accessibility Site map

Search

Advanced Search

All TUC sites This site only

Home Unions Join a Union Work Rights Events Email Alerts Publications Contact Us

date: 4 September 2008

embargo: 00:01hrs Friday 5 September 2008

Three and a half million bullied in job

Three and a half million people (14 per cent or one in seven of the workforce) say they have been bullied in their current job according to a YouGov poll for the TUC published today (Friday). 21 per cent (one in five) say that bullying is an issue where they work.

Bullying is more likely in the public sector where 19 per cent say they have been bullied compared to 12 per cent in the private sector and eight per cent in the voluntary sector.

Surprisingly people in professional and associate professional jobs are the most likely to be bullied (16 per cent). This may reflect the large number of professional and associate professional jobs in the public sector such teaching, and across the NHS.

Men are more likely to be bullied (16 per cent) than women (12 per cent). 45-54 year olds (19 per cent), followed by 35-44 year olds (17 per cent) are the age groups most likely to be bullied. 25-34 year olds are the least bullied (8 per cent).

The East Midlands workforce is the most bullied at 18 per cent, with the East of England the least (eight per cent).

It is not the low paid who are most likely to say they are bullied. Those earning less than £20,000 report much less bullying than those earning between £20,000 and £60,000. (17 per cent). But among those earning above £60,000 only seven per cent say they are bullied.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'This level of bullying at work is completely unacceptable. It is particularly disturbing that more people complain of bullying in the public sector. Every organisation needs to have an anti-bullying policy, and every manager should ensure that there is zero-tolerance of bullying either by line managers or workmates.'

Recognition and awareness of workplace bullying is essential if it is to be legitimately challenged. The TUC fully supports and endorses the work of the Andrea Adams Trust, who run a national annual campaign to raise awareness of the issue, culminating in Ban Bullying at Work Day held on 7 November.

Andrea Adams Trust Chief Executive Lyn Witheridge said: 'We encourage every employer to become involved and use this opportunity to participate in the wide array of activities provided by the Ban Bullying at Work Day campaign.'

Those who say they have personally experienced bullying by management or other workers in the organisation they currently work for.		Per cent or 1,000s of workers Eg 15per cent of full time workers have been bullied
	Total	14
	number of workers	3,500
And are you a member of a trade union?	Yes	22
	No	11
Which of these applies to you?	Full Time	15
	Part Time	11
And which type of organisation do you work for?	Private	12
	Public	19
	Voluntary	8
Which of these BEST describes the type of position you hold?	Manager/ senior official	13
	Professional occupation	16
	Associate professional/ technical occupation	16
	Administrative/ secretarial occupation	14
	Skilled trade occupation	14
	Personal service occupation	14
	Sales/ customer service occupation	14
	Process plant and machine operative	14
	Other occupation	12
Including yourself approximately how many employees are employed by your organisation in total in the UK?	Less than 50	8
	50 to 249	17
	250 to 999	16
	1000 or more	18
Are you...?	Male	16
	Female	12
To which of the following age groups do you belong?	18 to 24	11
	25 to 34	8
	35 to 44	17
	45 to 54	19
	55 and over	15
And in which of the following regions do you work?	North East	15
	North West	12
	Yorkshire and The Humber	17
	East Midlands	18
	West Midlands	13
	East of England	8
	London	16
	South East	12
	South West	16
	Wales	16
	Scotland	16
What is your gross annual salary?	Less than £5,000 a year	5
	£5,000 to £9,999 a year	14
	£10,000 to £14,999 a year	13
	£15,000 to £19,999 a year	13
	£20,000 to £24,999 a year	17
	£25,000 to £29,999 a year	18
	£30,000 to £39,999 a year	17
	£40,000 to £49,999 a year	16
	£50,000 to £59,999 a year	18
	£60,000 or more a year	7
What is the highest educational or work-related qualification you have?	None	15
	Lower	13
	Intermediate	17
	Higher	14

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,857 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 28 July and 8 August 2008. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+), trade union members and non-trade union members.

- For more information and advice on bullying at work please visit:

http://www.worksmart.org.uk/health/bullying

http://www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s/index.cfm?mins=30

http://www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s/tuc-13809-f0.cfm

- You can learn more about the Andrea Adams Trust Ban Bullying at Work Day campaign and the issues that surround workplace bullying by visiting: www.banbullyingatwork.com

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

- Register for the TUC's press extranet: a service exclusive to journalists wanting to access pre-embargo releases and reports from the TUC. Visit www.tuc.org.uk/pressextranet

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Elly Brenchley T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07900 910624 E: ebrenchley@tuc.org.uk

Press release (900 words) issued 5 Sep 2008