Workplace Bullying Institute

The Workplace Bullying Institute
2007 U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey

7. Targets' Reactions

7a.) Bullied individuals rarely confront or act in an adversarial manner. They sued in only 3% of cases and filed a formal complaint in only 4% of cases, 38% informally notified their employers, and 40% did not even tell their employer.

Question: What action did the targeted person undertake to solve the problem?

Responses:
Took no action, formal or informal, (40.1) 40%
Complained informally to employer/superior, (38.4) 38%
Filed a formal complaint with human resources, senior management or owner, (14.6) 15%
Filed a formal discrimination complaint with a state or federal agency, (3.5) 4%
Filed a lawsuit in court, (2.7) 3%

Other actions not counted in the percentages above: Retired, resigned, quit (64); Complained to union, filed grievance (45); Confronted harasser, attempted resolution (39); Stood up, fought back (28); Transferred, requested reassignment (22); Sought legal counsel, advice (15); Initiated job search, got a new job (14); Coped, minimized interaction, ignored harasser (13); Complained informally to peers (13); Worked hard/improved performance/good attitude (11); Joined class action group effort (11); Complained informally to state or federal agency (10); Harasser was fired, terminated (9); Sought support, EAP, outside help (8); Took responsibility, changed ways (7); Documented thoroughly, compiled copious notes (7); Medical leave, under dr.'s care (6); Covert actions to expose harasser, make him look bad (4); Target fired, terminated (4); Called police, filed report (4); Truce, cease-fire, uneasy peace (3); Severely reprimanded/punished for complaining (2)
One each: Partied "when the bitch transferred"; He died

Some gender differences surfaced. Men targets were more likely than women to take no action (37% vs. 45.5%). Targets were more likely to informally complain to their employer when the bully was a woman than when a man (42.6% vs. 35.6%) and to do nothing when the bully was a man than when a woman (43.8% vs. 36%).

7b.) Bullying can occur with or without harming the health of the bullied individuals. However, when proposing legislation, WBI Legislative Campaign State Coordinators, insist on the proof that health has been harmed to provide a high standard to meet before legal action should be initiated. For 45% of bullied targets, stress affected their health.

Question: Did the mistreatment result in stress-related health complications, psychological or physical, for the targeted person?

Responses:
Yes, (45.2) 45%
No, (35.9) 36%
Not sure, (18.9) 19%

Large gender differences resulted. A higher percentage of bullied women suffered stress-related health harm than did men targets (52.6% vs. 35.6%). And women bullies inflicted more health harm than did men bullies (55.1% vs. 38.6%).

7c.) How long does the bullying last? In 75% of bullying cases, mistreatment was experienced repeatedly by targets. Endurance of repeated bullying: 73% of bullied targets endure bullying for more than 6 months, 44% for more than one year

Question: How long did the mistreatment continue?

Raw Responses:
More than one year, (33.4) 33%
6-12 months, (21.6) 22%
Less than six months, (20.3) 20%
Just once or twice, (24.8) 25%
(n= 3101)

Adjusted percentages excluded the 25% of cases where mistreatment occurred only "once or twice." For repeated bullying, the endurance percentages (n= 2187) were:
More than one year, 44%
6-12 months, 29%
Less than six months, 27%

Critics of the phenomenon of workplace bullying and of bullied targets, in particular, posit that targets are "thin-skinned," "whining complainers." In reality, targets endure mistreatment for long periods of time. They do not readily flee. Staying in harm's way can contribute to the onset of emotional injuries from unremitting exposure to a stressful work environment.