Bullying and sexual harassment incidents in the workplace are not being reported, according to the latest CareerOne.com.au survey.
The job site surveyed 788 respondents, and of those, 62 percent had been bullied and 29 percent sexually harassed. Most of the respondents who had been bullied (59 percent) or sexually harassed (74 percent) didn’t report the incident.
According to Kate Southam, editor of CareerOne.com.au, workers are finding they are more vulnerable in the current climate.
“In the current climate where thousands of jobs are being slashed, employers have more power and workers suffering poor conditions such as bullying fear losing their job if they complain.
“Redundancies also create greater workloads for those left behind adding to the stress already caused by the challenging economic conditions. Poorly trained managers who can’t cope can resort to bullying.”
Law firm, Harmers Workplace Lawyers, have found the exact opposite, with Joydeep Hor, managing partner of Harmers Workplace Lawyers seeing a significant increase in false bullying claims made by employees in recent months.
“When employees feel that their employment is threatened, many feel cornered and helpless and some even decide to take matters into their own hands to protect themselves.”
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