1 in 2 Canadians experienced bullying in the workplace
Older Canadians more likely to
experience workplace bullying than younger Canadians
Toronto, Nov 12th
- In a random sampling of public opinion taken by The Forum Poll™ among 1875 Canadians 16 years of age or older, over half (55%) say
that they, a co-worker, or both have been bullied in the workplace.
Older Canadians
experienced more bullying in the workplace than younger Canadians. Of those
between the ages of 55-64, almost two-thirds (61%) reported that either they,
and/or a coworker, have been bullied in the workplace.
Compared to the
younger population, more than half (57%) of those between the ages of 25-34
reported that either they, and/or a coworker, have been bullied in the
workplace.
A large majority
(67%) of respondents who self-identified as disabled stated that they have been
bullied, a co-worker or both in the workplace (compared to 53%).
Only 1 in 3 employers took action to end
bullying
1 in 2 (52%)
reported the bullying to management, senior staff, human resources, or another
person or department responsible for employee conduct.
However, only about
a third of employers (35%) took action to end the bullying.
Majority of employers did not take
action to end bullying for LGBTQ2SIAP+ or the disabled
7 out of 10 (71%)
who identified as a member of the LGBTQ2SIAP+ community (n= 85) did not have an
employer who took action to end the bullying (compared to 64%). 3 out of 4
(75%) of those who identified as disabled did not have an employer who took
action to end the bullying (compared to 63%).
Employers who took action to end
bullying addressed the bullying effectively
Of the respondents
whose employers took action to end the bullying, two-thirds (TOP2: 67%) stated
their employer’s actions addressed the bullying effectively. Of the few
respondents who identify as a member of the LGBTQ2SIAP+community (n=23), more
than half (BTM2: 53%) do not believe their employer’s actions addressed the
bullying.
Today’s youth appear to experience more
bullying than previous generation
Over 1 in 3 (38%) Canadians
were the target of bullying while attending school.
1 in 2 respondents (50%)
who are between the ages of 25-34 were the target of bullying while attending
school.
However, 1 in 3
respondents (30%) between the ages of 55-64 and 1 in 6 respondents (17%) 65
years and over were the target of bullying while attending school.
Over half (57%) of Canadians who identified as a member of the
LGBTQ2SIAP+ community experienced bullying while in school compared to over a
third (37%) who do not identify with the community.
Verbal bullying most common
When asked what type
of bullying they have personally experienced the most, more than half of
respondents (58%) have experienced verbal bullying and almost a quarter (21%)
experienced physical. One-fifth (19%) experienced emotional bullying. Cyber bullying (2%) is the Cyber bullying (2%) is the most uncommon.
Disabled and LGBTQ2SIAP+ communities
experienced higher level of bullying
1 in 4 respondents
who identified as disabled were more likely to be physically bullied (27%) or
emotionally bullied (26%) than compared to those who did not identify as
disabled (20% physical, 17% emotional).
Of the few
respondents from the LGBTQ2SIAP+ community (n=93), 1 in 4 experienced emotional
bullying (26%) compared to 1 in 6 who did not identify (17%).
Previous generations more likely to have
been physically bullied
While older
Canadians were less likely to be bullied while attending school, they were more
likely to experience physical bullying than younger Canadians.
One third (35%) of those
55 to 64 experienced physical bullying in school.
Younger respondents reported
experiencing less physical bullying. Only 1 in 7 (14%) of those aged between
25-34 experienced physical bullying.
Nearly 1 in 3 males
(31%) experienced physical bullying compared to 1 in 10 (10%) females.
Similarly, nearly 1 in 3 females (29%) experienced emotional bullying compared
to 1 in 10 males (9%).
Younger respondents more likely to
report bullying
Respondents were
asked if the bullying was reported to a teacher or school staff member and over
a third (36%) reported the bullying.
Younger respondents
were more likely to report the bullying than older respondents. 4 in 10 (43%)
between the ages of 25-34 reported the bullying compared to only 1 in 5 (21%)
between the ages of 55-64.
Majority of people who bully do not face
consequences
Respondents were
then asked if the person bullying them faced any consequences after was
reported.
Three quarters (75%)
stated that the person bullying them did not face any consequences after it was
reported.
A vast majority of
those who identified as disabled (86%) stated that the person who bullied them
did not face any consequences after the bullying was reported.
School bullying less likely to be
reported and school bullies less likely to see consequences than workplace
bullying and bullies
Only a third (36%)
of those that were bullied said they reported the bullying to a teacher or
staff member, with those 16-24 (53%) far more likely to report bullying than
those 65 and over (14%).
Only a quarter (25%)
said their school bully faced consequences after the report.
Half (52%) of those
bullied in the workplace said they reported the bullying, with a third (35%)
saying the employer took action to end the bullying.
Over half believe school policies are
not effective against bullying
When asked how
effective their school’s policies were on bullying, over half of the
respondents (TOP2: 52%) did not believe the policies were effective.
Over a quarter
(BTM2: 28%) believed their school’s policies on bullying were either very
effective or somewhat effective while the remaining 20% were ‘not sure’.
Nearly two thirds (65%)
of respondents who identified as a member of the LGBTQ2SIAP+ community and
nearly 6 in 10 (59%) who self-identified as disabled expressed that their
school’s policies on bullying were ineffective.
2 out of 3 Canadians have policies
related to bullying in the workplace
Two-thirds of
Canadians (66%) stated their employer has policies related to bullying in the
workplace
Those who
self-identified as disabled are less likely to have an employer with policies
related to bullying (54%, compared to 68%).
6 out of 10 Canadians believe workplace
bullying policies are effective
A majority of
Canadians (TOP 2: 63%) believed that their employer’s policies on bullying were
effective.
Male respondents
were more likely to rate their employer’s policies on bullying as effective
(TOP 2: 67%) than females (TOP 2: 59%).
Those who
self-identified as disabled are less likely to rate their employer’s policies
on bullying as effective (TOP 2: 53%, compared to TOP2: 65%).
“While younger
Canadians are experiencing bullying in school at a higher rate than previous
generations, it’s far less likely to be physical in nature,” said Dr. Lorne
Bozinoff, President of Forum Research. “Half of Canadians say they’ve
personally experienced bullying in the workplace or know someone that’s been
bullied in the workplace; and Canadians that identify with disability are
particularly vulnerable, as they are less likely than others to work for an
employer with anti-bullying policies.”
Lorne Bozinoff,
Ph.D. is the president and founder of Forum Research. He can be reached at
lbozinoff@forumresearch.com or at (416) 960-9603.
