The school bully is a common stereotype, known for pushing around smaller kids or spreading nasty rumours. For thousands of Australians, however, bullies are not confined to the schoolyard.

Workplace bullying is a growing issue in Australia. In every industry, certain employees experience regular harassment by their colleagues or managers. In this article we examine the extent of this problem.

What is workplace bullying?

Most people could recognise bullying if they saw it. Yet bullying can be hard to define.

The key elements of bullying are:

• Repeated. Bullying must be persistent. A one-off incident of bad behaviour may be upsetting but does not amount to bullying.
• Unreasonable. Some reasonable management decisions result in workers feeling mistreated, like a demotion or change of duties. Only unreasonable behaviour is classified as bullying, such as consistently singling out an experienced worker for menial tasks.
• A risk to health and safety. Bullying must pose a safety risk of some kind.

Some researchers see power imbalance as the key element of bullying. Denise Salin, from the Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration defined bullying as “repeated and persistent negative acts towards one or more individual(s), which involve a perceived power imbalance and create a hostile work environment.”

However, some people are bullied by their colleagues or their subordinates. Power is not always relevant.

Other researchers see bullying as an angry individual lashing out. Peter Randall, author of Adult Bullying: Perpetrators and Victims, defines bullying as "aggressive behaviour with the deliberate intent to cause physical or psychological distress to others."

Yet most bullying behaviour is subtle rather than aggressive. Bullies are more likely to ignore and exclude someone than threaten to hurt them. In addition, a bully may be unaware of the effect of their behaviour on other people.

How common is bullying?

Reports of bullying appear to be on the rise in Australian workplaces.

In 2009, around 25 per cent of Australian workers reported having experienced bullying, according to a survey by Drake International.

In 2013, a SafeWork Australia report suggests that number may be closer to forty-five per cent.

This rise could be attributed to increased awareness of workplace bullying. In particular, the issue gained attention through the sad case of Brodie Panlock, a Melbourne café worker who committed suicide following bullying from her colleagues.

A complication is that some behaviour is mistakenly labelled bullying. Some bullying claims can be traced back to mutual aggression, the alleged victim adopting the mentality of “it all started when he hit me back.” Others are based on resentment of management action or personal vendettas.

In particular, bullying claims tend to spike when workplace bullying hits the news.

Calls to WorkSafe Victoria about bullying doubled from 2010 to 2011 in the wake of the Panlock case. Yet of the 6,000 calls, only 600 were referred to the bullying unit and 60 were investigated.

This suggests that what the public considers bullying often falls short of the legal definition.

A SafeWork Australia survey identified different types of workplace bullying:

• Person-related bullying (spreading gossip and rumours, persistent attempts to humiliate)
• Work-related bullying (unreasonable pressure to produce work, withholding necessary information, setting impossible deadlines)
• Violence and intimidation (verbal threats, threats of physical violence).

According to Drake International, silence, isolation and sarcasm are the most common types of bullying, representing 36 per cent of instances. This was followed closely by public humiliation and criticism.

A Norwegian study showed that only 2.5 per cent of people who reported being bullied had been threatened with violence.

Bullying can be a stealth operation as much as an aggressive attack. It’s not always the person yelling and screaming who is creating a hostile working environment.

How does bullying affect the target and employer?

Bullying comes at a severe cost to everyone involved.

Effects on the target

Prolonged bullying can lead to medical issues, including cardiovascular problems, musculoskeletal complaints, headaches and chronic fatigue. Mental health issues, such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, can also develop.

Health issues may cause the employee to use up their leave entitlements. Their productivity is likely to suffer as they focus on their experiences rather than their work. This may have long-term effects for their career.

Witnesses to bullying can also be affected by working in an environment of tension and fear.

Effects on the employer

For the employer, bullying can result a drop in productivity as both the target and witnesses suffer heightened stress. High staff turnover, sick leave, holiday leave and absenteeism can add up to a significant cost.

Based on international estimates, the cost of bullying to the business sector is Australia is over $3 billion per year.

Results from the Australian Workplace Barometer suggest that AUD$17.84 billion could be saved if the mental wellbeing of the 25 per cent least psychologically healthy working Australians could be raised to the level of the 25 per cent most psychologically healthy workers

Bullying is a pressing issue in Australian workplaces. The rising level of reported bullying, combined with a weak understanding of what constitutes bullying, poses a challenge to employers and policy makers grappling with this issue.