The word bullying often invokes images of elementary or middle school playgrounds. Research has shown, however, that around 30% of US employees have been bullied in the workplace, with even higher numbers for remote workers—namely, over 43%.

Bullying is defined as any act or situation in which someone is subjected to recurrent, systematic, serious negative or hostile, and long-lasting acts that are oppressing and abusive toward another person. Bullying consists of a wide range of behaviors, including belittling, humiliating, personal attacks; verbal criticism; and exclusion. Anyone can be the target of bullying, regardless of rank in the organization, socioeconomic background, or demographics, including age, sex, ethnicity, and levels of ability.

According to a 2021 survey conducted by the Workplace Bullying Institute, 30% of workers have been bullied and 19% have witnessed workplace bullying.

Remote workers have experienced even higher levels of bullying—namely, 43.3%. Remote bullying has occurred mainly through virtual meetings (namely, 50%), and 9% has occurred over email. In fact, in contemporary working life, bullying is seen as one of the most detrimental stressors.

Article by Paul Z. Chiou, DrPH(c), MPH, SCT(ASCP)¹, Lotte Mulder, PhD,² and Yuane Jia, PhD³ .

Read more or download the article from the American Journal of Clinical Pathology.

From the Departments of ¹Clinical Laboratory and Medical Imaging and ³Interdisciplinary Studies, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA; and ²Department of Organizational Development and Leadership, ASCP, Chicago, IL, USA.