UK Workplace bullying claims on the rise

Cases of bullying in the workplace are up 44%, suggesting employers are having difficulty with problematic behaviour.

During the pandemic, many were forced to work from home. Since then, some employees still continue to WFH.

However, there has been a record number of bullying claims involving lawsuits in UK employment courts over the last year, indicating that, although work from home works from some, it is causing issues for others.

There has been a 44% increase in cases which involved bullying allegations during employment tribunals. Employment tribunals can hear all types of work-related disputes between staff and employers, from unfair dismissals to discrimination. Cases involving bullying leapt to 835 in 12 months, compared to 581 in the previous period. These claims cannot lead to employers being sued directly, but it can be included under discrimination and whistle-blowing claims.

Some of these bullying patterns can be hard to identify, including gossiping via messaging apps, excluding co-workers from remote meetings and making unkind comments on video calls.

This increase in bullying claims suggests that businesses are having difficulty with behaviour inside and outside the office environment. Leadership teams may have struggled to maintain healthy workplaces during the shift to hybrid work.

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Article by Bloomberg