Research shows that 40% of Canadian employees have experienced one or more acts of workplace bullying per week in the past six months.
President of the Nanaimo Duncan District Labour Council Ellen Oxman says stress from bullying at work may lead to conflicts at home, substance abuse, depression or illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. She notes that employers suffer too.
“If [the employee] is under the stress or pressure of being bullied either by a coworker or supervisor or manager, it’s detrimental for business as well,” she says.
Oxman says employees often feel there’s nowhere to go for help and it’s not an easy issue to fix.
Advice from workplace bullying experts includes consulting your workplace’s behaviour policy about the steps you can take, and trying to improve your coping skills.
