Workplace bullying: A problem that’s not going away

Is the U.S. workplace simply getting meaner? A new study shows an alarming jump in the rate of employees being bullied by their co-workers, supervisors — and even customers.

The research, from CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive, says 35% of workers said they have felt bullied at work — up from 27% last year.

Of that number, 16% reported they suffered health-related problems as a result of the workplace bullying — and 17% decided to quit their jobs because of it.

Who’s doing the bullying?

Most respondents pointed to incidents with their bosses (48%) or coworkers (45%). But a substantial 31% said they actually been bullied by customers.

More than half (54%) of those bullied said they were bullied by someone older than they were, while 29% said the bully was younger.

Bullying tactics

The most common way workers reported being bullied was getting blamed for mistakes they didn’t make. Here’s a look at the full list of bullying behavior:

• Falsely accused of mistakes — 42%
• Ignored — 39%
• Bosses used different standards/policies toward victim than other workers — 36%
• Constantly criticized — 33%
• Someone else’s actions negatively impacted victim’s work — 31%
• Yelled at by boss in front of coworkers — 28%
• Belittling comments made about victim’s work during meetings — 24%
• Gossiped about — 26%
• Someone stole credit for victim’s work — 19%
• Purposely excluded from projects or meetings — 18%, and
• Picked on for personal attributes — 15%.