Emotional abuse at work: 8 warning signs that there’s a problem
/“The accelerated pace of change in today’s workplace and in our overall society is one more factor impacting workplace mental health.” [Source: SHRM]
It’s no surprise that the most common workplace issues on almost every survey list are not about pay, promotion, or benefits. We see that interpersonal conflict, bullying and harassment, communication and relationship problems consistently top these lists.
Recent statistics show that [Source: 2021 WBI U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey]:
30% of adults are bullied at work (compared to 19% in 2017)
43.2% of remote workers are bullied
65% of bullies are bosses; 4% have admitted their bullying which represents 6.6 million individuals
When we join a company, partnership or team, our expectation is that everyone involved will exhibit professional behavior toward us and each other. Instead, it’s highly possible that we may become one of the more than 60 million adults in the United States who are affected in some way by bullying behavior at work.
What kind of behaviors are we talking about? Our definition is any interpersonal behavior that causes emotional distress in others sufficient enough to impede their productivity or disrupt organizational functioning. It isn’t just a personality conflict — it’s a chronic pattern of disrespectful behavior.