28 August 2007
Lack of management skills is a major cause of bullying
Workplace conflict costs UK businesses £18 billion per year.
Research from the Ban
Bullying At Work campaign reveals that 66% of managers believe
that lack of management skills is the major factor leading to
workplace bullying.
The survey, in conjunction with the Chartered
Management Institute, questioned 512 senior managers
across the UK. Other factors cited for bullying
by managers themselves include:
- unrealistic targets (27%);
- authoritarian management styles (56%);
- personality (57%); and
- failure to address incidents (37%).
High cost of bullying on business
Lyn Witheridge, CEO of www.banbullyingatwork.com says: "It's
clear that managers acknowledge that bullying behavior in the workplace
takes many forms and creates deep repercussions. In fact bullying
costs UK businesses £18 billion per year."
Bullying costs UK businesses £18 billion per year.
"We're challenging businesses to speak out against bullying to create workplaces where employees can see clearly that bullying behaviors will not be tolerated," says Witheridge.
Jo Causon, director of marketing and corporate affairs at The Chartered Management Institute, says: "Not only do employers need to equip individuals with the ability to manage conflict, they need to create an open, empowering culture to ensure that the potential for bullying is minimized."
It really is grim up north
The top reason (66%) why organizations should deal
with bullying at work is low morale. Falling productivity
is second (37%) and reducing absenteeism is third (24%).
In the North East, 74% cite lack of management skills as a major factor contributing to workplace bullying.
The survey also reveals regional variations in managers' attitudes to workplace bullying. In the North East the figure is higher than the national average with 74% citing lack of management skills as a major factor contributing to workplace bullying.
In the South West, 66% of managers believe that personality is the most influential factor, while in Scotland 77% of managers cite low morale. In South West England managers are less concerned: 23% note falling productivity as a result of workplace bullying.
How to make a difference in your organization
You can download the report's findings from The
Chartered Management Institute's website and this year's
Ban Bullying At Work day takes place on 7 November.
If you'd like to discuss workplace bullying and other communication
issues with your peers, join the Internal
Comms Hub members' group on the Communicators'
Network.
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