Women twice as likely to be bullied at work - ESRI

Women are nearly twice as likely to experience bullying in the workplace than men, according to a report by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

The report - which is based on the results of  two separate national surveys - found that 10.7 per cent of women had experienced bullying within the past six months compared to 5.8 per cent of men.

7.9 per cent of the overall workforce claimed to have experienced bullying within the last six months compared to a figure of 7 per cent in a similar survey carried out in 2001.

The incidence of bullying is more prevalent in the public sector than in the private sector with the highest rates found in the areas of education, public administration, health and social work.

A substantially higher percentage of employees, some 8.9 per cent, reported experiencing bullying by comparison with those who are self-employed, where only 2.9 per cent reported instances.

Only a half of all organisations reported to being aware of codes of practice set up to combat bullying and of their requirements, the  report found.

Public sector organisations were found to be more likely to report that bullying by colleagues and by clients is a problem and were more likely to have procedures in place to deal with such matters than private sector firms.

Minister of State for Labour Affairs Tony Killeen said it was disappointing to see that the incidence figure has remained largely the same despite the increase in the level of awareness of the effects of bullying and its negative impact and the existence of codes of practice.

Mr Killeen said he was also concerned at the lack of a formal policy on workplace bullying in many private sector organisations.

He noted the higher incidence of bullying in the public sector and called on managers who are informed of instances to recognise that they have a problem on their hands and to set about addressing it without delay.