Workplace bullying; the problem isn't employees - it's management.

Workplace bullying isn't the problem of employees its management. The image shows a person under pressure with their head in their hands with managers pointing at them.

The uncomfortable truths

81% of employers think they’re tackling workplace bullying.
Only 36% of employees agree.

That is what the latest research data from the CIPD and the BMC tells us as well as the fact that the biggest source of workplace bullying isn’t difficult employees. It’s management.

Therefore, the reality of workplace bullying isn’t just a culture issue — it’s a leadership one.

📊 The latest UK data

1 in 4 employees experienced bullying or abuse at work in the past year
40% of bullying cases involve a line manager, 18% senior leadership
Over half of employees don’t report it
Most don’t believe anything will change if they do

Blind Spot

Additionally, we have organisational systems where:

People don’t speak up
Managers aren’t challenged
Organisations think they’re doing fine

That’s not a gap.
That’s a blind spot.

The cost

A recent study put the cost to the UK of bullying at over £14 billion. This includes costs from,

Burnout and mental health issues – employees who experience bullying report elevated rates of stress, anxiety, insomnia, heart palpitations, and suicidal thoughts (CIPD qualitative research)
A 2024 BMC Public Health study found workplace bullying victims are significantly more likely to have a diagnosable common mental disorder
Quiet quitting and disengagement
High turnover
Legal and reputational risk to the organisation

The reality that many organisations ignore

However, you can’t solve workplace bullying with policies alone.

It’s driven — or prevented — by:
👉 Manager behaviour
👉 Leadership accountability
👉 Whether people feel safe to speak up

Where to start

As a result of changes to legislation, it is really important that organisations are serious about tackling bullying and harassment in 2026. Moreover, there are some simple changes which organisations can put in place to address this;

Train managers to handle conflict effectively, have difficult conversations and be transparent, fair and inclusive
Create reporting routes and channels that don’t rely on direct reporting to line managers
Act visibly when issues are raised and create audit trails and logs from case management records
Measure employee experience — not just policy compliance – and analyse exit interview/performance review data to measure progress

Because culture isn’t about policies and mission statements. Actually, it’s what organisations tolerate.

Question

One pattern I keep seeing: organisations rely heavily on line managers to resolve issues… even when they’re often the cause of the problem.

So what steps are you taking to address the increasing issue of workplace bullying?

Contact me if you are interested in finding out more about creating psychologically safe workplaces or need help with mediation.

#Leadership #WorkplaceBullying #HR #PeopleManagement #EmployeeExperience #UKWorkplace #MentalHealthAtWork #FutureOfWork