Managers fail to take action as claims of bullying soar

BULLYING in Scotland's workplaces has "rocketed" in the past three years, according to a new report which found that women and public-sector workers were most likely to suffer as managers ignore the problem.

The findings by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) found that 60 per cent of managers believed bullying at work is widespread in Scotland.

Researchers found most bullying took the form of psychological intimidation. The problem was found at all levels of the workplace, with Scots most likely to report "misuse of power" as the commonest form of bullying.

The report also highlighted "an alarming lack of awareness" among managers in tackling the problem. About 40 per cent of those who had been bullied reported that no action was taken by their employers.

Mary Chapman, the CMI chief executive, said: "This suggests that poor management is at the root of the problem, since senior staff lack the skills to prevent incidents of bullying from occurring."