Study: Workplace bullying affects more than the target

Have you been bullied at work? Mistreated by your boss or co-workers? Or have you seen abuse at your office? What happened and how did you deal with it? Tell us on the WTOP Talkback line at 1-877- 222-1035, tweet your thoughts using #WTOPtalkback, or comment on WTOP’s Facebook page.

WASHINGTON – The assumption that most bullying takes place in schools may no longer be accurate.

A report from the Workplace Bullying Institute suggests one in four adults has been subjected to torment from peers while on the job.

Not only are the targets of bullying likely to look for another job, but those who witness their peers being bullied also are likely to want to quit as well, according to another study by the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business.

Time reports the study was conducted using nurses at a large Canadian hospital.

Previous studies have shown, Time reports, that hospitals are a “hotbed” of bullying, despite most workplace bullies being male.

The full text of the study and results are available in PDF format from Sage Journals.

WTOP’s Veronica Robinson contributed to this report. Follow WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up