AUSTRALIANS being bullied and sexually harassed in the workplace are not reporting the incidents because they fear ruining their career, the latest CareerOne.com.au survey has revealed.
Of the 788 respondents surveyed, 62 per cent had been bullied and 29 per cent sexually harassed. Most of the respondents who had been bullied (59 per cent) or sexually harassed (74 per cent) did not report the incident.
Editor of CareerOne.com.au Kate Southam said workers could find themselves even more vulnerable in this cost-cutting economic climate.
“In the current climate where thousands of jobs are being slashed, employers have more power and workers suffering poor conditions such as bullying fear losing their job if they complain,” Ms Southam said.
“Redundancies also create greater workloads for those left behind, adding to the stress already caused by the challenging economic conditions. Poorly trained managers who can’t cope can resort to bullying.”
Conducted by CareerOne. com.au in partnership with CoreData, the survey also found:
- 37 per cent of those who had been sexually harassed at work were women, compared to 19 per cent who were men.
- Most (77 per cent) of those who had been sexually harassed at work had been picked on by someone at a more senior level.
- Of the respondents who reported being bullied, 64 per cent were female and 60 per cent male.
- Most (74 per cent) respondents were bullied by a person in a more senior position.
According to Beyond Bullying, workplace bullying is defined as repeated unreasonable behaviour, where there is some kind of power imbalance between the individuals involved.
The bullying behaviours include: name calling, public humiliation, deliberately leaving someone out of a communication loop such as an email list, assigning meaningless tasks and spreading rumours.