How to detect and deal with workplace bullies

While blatant bullying may have been common in the schoolyard, ongoing research has found there are many types of this behaviour that can impact the workplace.

Workers experience passive-aggressive behaviour from colleagues on average four times a week, according to Global research from organizational learning services company Go1.

And 44% of the survey respondents said the bullying is worse than ever, with the most commonly cited passive-aggressive behaviours being sarcasm, eye rolling and “friendly reminders”.  

Similarly, the 2022 New Zealand Human Rights Commission report Experiences of Workplace Bullying and Harassment in Aotearoa New Zealand revealed that 40% of 2,512 respondents were bullied during their working life and one in five workers have experienced one or more of the bullying behaviours measured in the survey, often or always in the past 12 months.

Learning how to spot workplace bullying

Susan Lowe, chief people officer at HR tech firm Fuel 50, said that bullying behaviours in workforces can go much deeper. Some of the bullying tactics she has seen in her time as an HR leader include intimidation, manipulation, attempts to control, gossip, bad-mouthing, discrediting, ignoring, excluding and gaslighting.

“Not all bullies are overt in their behaviours, not all bullies yell or physically intimidate others,” she said. “Some bullying is far more tactical and complex, therefore it can be difficult to describe or articulate – but is no less harmful.”

These behaviours often go undetected for some time in organisations, said Lowe, “and once detected, are brushed off as a personality clash or a difference of working styles, because leaders and HR lack the understanding that this behaviour is in fact bullying.”

“I have learnt through my own experiences, both as a people leader and HR professional, that if you are aware of the behaviours and patterns to look for, then you are better able to spot them,” she said.

How to battle the bullies

“Overcoming these behaviours at work starts with proper education and training,” said Ashleigh Loughnan, chief people officer at Go1. “If people are better equipped with essential soft skills, such as communication or stress management, then it can help solve the problem before it begins.”

The New Zealand Human Rights Commission survey also found that 44% of people were aware of bullying affecting others in the workplace within the past five years. The survey didn’t delve into whether those people had reported the bullying, but Lowe explained that in some organisations, the culture doesn’t enable people to call bullies out, and sometimes the behaviours are difficult to address.

“It is important to remember that inaction in these cases can be as harmful and dangerous as the bullying behaviour,” said Lowe.

In fact, the passive-aggressive bullying can be so harmful that it contributed to 39% of resignations in the last 12 months, according to Go1s research. Survey respondents also said passive aggression was contributing to creating a toxic work environment, negative relationships between colleagues, and decreased productivity.

“Feeling stressed and lacking communication or problem-solving skills can all lead to passive-aggressive behaviours and – as this research shows – reduce productivity and damage workplace culture as a result,” said Loughnan.

‘Workplaces need to step up’ on bullying

Maureen Kyne, a specialist in workplace bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination, said that the prevalence of bullying has seen a related rise in workplace psychological injury claims, and warns that employers need to deal with the problem or face a mental health storm.

“Workplaces need to step up and act in relation to managing psychological health,” she said. “The onus is on workplaces to report what they are doing to prevent claims against reportable psychosocial complaints such aggression, violence, bullying or sexual harassment.”