An estimated one in 30 of the adult population is a serial bully - with workplace bullying costing Irish business at least €3 billion a year, it was claimed yesterday.
Speaking at a press briefing to announce details of an upcoming conference on workplace bullying, Dr Mark Harrold, a clinical psychologist with the Health Service Executive, said a serial bully "will frequently identify the best of the workers and take him out".
"Workplace bullying seems to be something everyone knows about, but no one seems to know what to do about it."
According to Dr Harrold, the figure of €3 billion is "a conservative estimate" based on the application of UK data to the Irish situation. It refers primarily to the poor productivity and absenteeism bullying precipitates, but does not include considerations such as compensation claims.
The research also indicates that one in every 30 people is a serial bully who frequently repeats their behaviour with successive employees, he said.
The conference, Workplace Bullying: Tackling the Menace, will be opened by the Minister of State for Labour Affairs, Tony Killeen, in Dublin next October.
Jacinta Kitt, a lecturer and researcher on workplace bullying, said research indicated that 15 per cent of people who commit suicide have been bullied in the year before their death. Bullying was "probably the single biggest cause of suicide", she said.
While there is insufficient data in Ireland, she said research in other countries shows that very often those who are targeted by bullies are good at their job. Workplace bullying was most prevalent among medical and education professionals, she noted, with 70 per cent of those bullied leaving their employment.
"Bullies are people who have deep-rooted inadequacies," she said.
"When they get into an organisation, they have to rise to the top to cover these inadequacies."