Workplace Bullying Statistics
Workplace bullying statistics reveal serious effects on wellbeing and performance.
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Workplace bullying is a pervasive issue that affects employees across various industries and sectors. It involves repeated, unreasonable actions aimed at intimidating, degrading, or humiliating an individual or group. Workplace bullying is defined as repeated, unreasonable behaviour that intimidates, degrades, or humiliates a worker or group of workers, and it remains widespread across Australian workplaces.
These actions can significantly impact the well-being, productivity, and morale of employees. Understanding the prevalence and impact of workplace bullying through statistics is crucial for employers, HR professionals, and policymakers to create effective interventions and foster a healthier work environment.
This page provides a comprehensive summary of key statistics on workplace bullying, highlighting its frequency, forms, and consequences. By examining these figures, we aim to shed light on the scope of the problem and underscore the importance of implementing robust anti-bullying policies and support systems within organizations. Australia and New Zealand consistently rank among the worst-affected regions globally, and local compensation data shows bullying-related psychological injury claims have risen sharply over the past year.
How Common is Bullying in the Workplace?
- Australia ranks the sixth-highest for workplace bullying compared with 31 European countries, based on Australian Workplace Barometer data [1].
- In Australia, 37% of workers have reported being cursed or yelled at in the workplace [2].
- According to the AWU, one in two Australian workers have experienced bullying, harassment, or exposure to inappropriate behaviour [3].
- A 2014 Workplace Bullying Institute survey found that 68% of women reported being bullied by other women [4].
- A Monster poll revealed that 51% of respondents were bullied by their boss or manager, 39% by co-workers, and 4% by clients or customers [5].
- Australia and New Zealand recorded the highest rates of workplace violence and harassment of any region surveyed in the 2021 Lloyd's Register Foundation World Risk Poll, with 47.9% of respondents reporting some form of workplace harassment in their lifetime — more than double the global average of 21% [16].
- Globally, 65.4% of Australian and New Zealand respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment multiple times, while 41.9% of Australian respondents reported experiencing psychological harassment [16].
- Women in Australia and New Zealand are more likely to be affected than men, with 52% of women reporting lifetime exposure to violence or harassment at work compared with 44% of men [16].
- Australian Workplace Barometer (AWB) data shows approximately 1 in 10 workers report being bullied, with 62% of cases involving a supervisor and 28% a co-worker [17].
- Between 2008–09 and 2012–13, one in three women and one in five men making mental disorder compensation claims in Australia cited work-related harassment or bullying, with 39% of such claims accepted [18].
- A meta-analysis of 12 international studies covering more than 70,000 workers found an average workplace bullying prevalence rate of 11.4%, with an Australian study within that set recording 15.2% [19].
- A 2011 SHRM poll found that 51% of responding organisations reported incidences of bullying occurring in their workplace, highlighting how common the problem is even where policies exist [13].
Remote Work and Bullying
- A study by the University of Sheffield and Nottingham University found that 80% of adults experienced cyberbullying at work in the past six months, with 14–20% victimised in the last week [6].
- The Workplace Bullying Institute reported that 43.2% of remote workers experienced bullying in 2021, often during virtual meetings [7].
- Workplace cyberbullying has been linked to emotional problems, decreased job satisfaction, poor workplace performance, and reduced wellbeing [8].
- A CIPD study from January 2020 found that 10% of workers reported being bullied via email, phone, or social media [9].
- A 2026 industry analysis found bullying and harassment increasingly extending into digital spaces and even people's homes as hybrid work continues, driven partly by "always-on" communication norms and after-hours contact [20].
- Research on Australian manufacturing workers found a cyberbullying prevalence rate of 10.7%, closely mirroring general workplace bullying rates [19].
Financial Costs of Workplace Bullying
- Up to 50% of Australian workers have experienced bullying, with an estimated annual cost to the economy of $6–$36 billion [10].
- Safe Work Australia found that females made twice as many claims as males for compensation related to bullying and workplace violence from 2016 to 2019 [11].
- Bullying leads to significant productivity losses, with 10–52% of a bullied employee's time spent being "unproductive" due to stress, anxiety, and related illnesses [12].
- Workplace bullying now accounts for 39.5% of all active psychological workers' compensation claims in Australia, with claims linked to bullying rising more than 75% in the past year alone [21].
- Between 2017–18 and 2020–21, women made 66% of accepted work-related harassment or bullying compensation claims in the ACT, compared with 34% for men [22].
- Claimants aged 50–60 account for the largest share of active psychological injury claims linked to bullying, while millennial workers recorded a 34.78% increase in bullying or harassment claims over five years [21].
- Bullying has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, with an odds ratio of 2.3 among bullied workers compared to non-bullied counterparts [19].
On Anti-Bullying Strategies
- A 2016 Victorian Public Sector Commission study found only 53% of public sector employees were confident a bullying grievance would be investigated thoroughly and objectively, and of those who did submit a formal complaint, just 26% were satisfied with how it was handled [14].
- Research by Segal Conflict Solutions reported that bullying increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with over a third of employees feeling they could not approach HR about the issue and 91.2% not feeling supported during the complaints process [15].
- Australia completed an update to model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws at the end of 2025, formally regulating psychosocial hazards, including bullying, alongside a dedicated Code of Practice [20].
- Industry commentary points to "kindness-based leadership" — consistency, respect, and active listening from managers — as a key factor in reducing culture drift and bullying-related harm [20].
- A 2026 global culture report found a nearly 10% increase in workplace conflict linked to political and social tensions, alongside a measurable decline in employees' sense of psychological safety [20].
- Bully Zero national research described bullying in Australia as having reached "epidemic levels", with seven in ten Australians reporting having experienced bullying and more than a quarter experiencing it at work [21].
Compensation Claims by Industry and Occupation
- Industry groups with the highest frequency rates of work-related harassment or bullying compensation claims (2016–17 to 2018–19, national data) were public safety services (69.9), residential care services (68.5), and civic, professional, and other interest group services (66.6) [23].
- In the ACT, health care and social assistance accounted for 48% of accepted harassment and bullying claims between 2017–18 and 2020–21, followed by administrative and support services (20%) and other services (8%) [22].
- By occupation, ACT claims were concentrated among professionals (27%), community and personal service workers (18%), and clerical and administrative workers (18%) [22].
- Occupations with higher exposure risk nationally include miscellaneous clerical and administrative workers, defence force members, firefighters and police, and miscellaneous labourers [23].
- WorkSafe ACT conducted 671 workplace visits related to psychosocial risk in 2021–22, and a further 126 visits between July 2022 and February 2023, issuing 28 improvement notices for failures to manage bullying-related risks [24].
Related Resources
- Workplace Absenteeism Statistics
- Mental Health in Construction Statistics
- Employee Burnout Statistics
- Bullying as a Workplace Hazard
- Employee Assistance Program
Data Sources
[1] University of South Australia, "Ending Australia's culture of workplace bullying", 12 September 2019, citing Australian Workplace Barometer (AWB) data comparing Australia with 31 European countries.
[2] Safe Work Australia, "Work-related Mental Disorders Profile" (SWA 2015), cited in ACT Data Snapshot – Bullying.
[3] Australian Workers' Union, "50% of Australian workers report being bullied on World Mental Health Day", 10 October 2023, awu.net.au.
[4] Workplace Bullying Institute, 2014 WBI U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey, workplacebullying.org.
[5] Monster.com survey, cited in Bryan Robinson, "New Study Says Workplace Bullying On Rise", Forbes, 11 October 2019.
[6] Sprigg, Axtell and Farley (University of Sheffield) with Coyne (University of Nottingham), cited in "Cyberbullying in the workplace 'worse than conventional bullying'", ScienceDaily, November 2012.
[7] Workplace Bullying Institute, 2021 WBI U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey, workplacebullying.org.
[8] "Workplace cyberbullying: a systematic literature review on its definition, theories, and the role of HRD", Human Resource Development Review / Cogent Business & Management, 2024.
[9] CIPD, "Quarter of employees believe bullying and harassment are overlooked", January 2020, cipd.org.
[10] Australian Workers' Union (50% figure), 10 October 2023; cost estimate from Productivity Commission 2010 report, cited in "Bullying – how much of a problem is it?", OHS Reps.
[11] Safe Work Australia, "Psychosocial health and safety and bullying in Australian workplaces" (6th edition, SWA 2021), cited in ACT Data Snapshot – Bullying.
[12] "Workplace Bullying – the devastating experience", American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (aaets.org).
[13] Erin Binney, "Experts Recommend Workplace Bullying Policies", SHRM, 2 October 2012
[14] Victorian Public Sector Commission, "Data Insights: Bullying in the Victorian Public Sector", based on the 2016 People Matter Survey, vpsc.vic.gov.au.
[15] Saranne Segal, Segal Conflict Solutions, cited in "Did workplace bullying worsen during COVID-19?", Lawyers Weekly, 25 March 2021.
[16] Lloyd's Register Foundation World Risk Poll 2021, "Safe at Work? Global experiences of violence and harassment", cited in LHD Lawyers, "Australia Ranked As The Worst Country for Bullying & Harassment in the Workplace", 6 June 2023.
[17] Safe Work Australia, "Bullying & Harassment in Australian Workplaces: Results from the Australian Workplace Barometer Project 2014/15" (SWA 2016b), cited in ACT Data Snapshot – Bullying.
[18] Safe Work Australia, "Work-related Mental Disorders Profile" (SWA 2015), cited in ACT Data Snapshot – Bullying.
[19] Walker, "Workplace Bullying" column, Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience — 12-study meta-analysis of workplace bullying prevalence and health consequences.
[20] Alice Williams, "Workplace Bullying in Australia Has Increased Dramatically. So, What's Going On?", 27 January 2026, citing Allianz Australia, Bully Zero ("Lifting the Lid on Bullying", July 2025), Emtrain 2026 culture report, and Great Place To Work Australia and New Zealand.
[21] Allianz Australia claims data and Bully Zero national research, cited in Alice Williams, "Workplace Bullying in Australia Has Increased Dramatically. So, What's Going On?", 27 January 2026.
[22] ACT claims data provided by Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations Division, Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate, cited in ACT Data Snapshot – Bullying.
[23] Safe Work Australia, "Psychosocial health and safety and bullying in Australian workplaces" (6th edition, SWA 2021), cited in ACT Data Snapshot – Bullying.
[24] WorkSafe ACT workplace visit and improvement notice data, cited in ACT Data Snapshot – Bullying.
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