Health effects

In MAPE's work addressing hostile work environments, we have many times seen serious health effects on our members, resulting in time away from work, financial stress and personal distress. Aside from that, there are clear costs to employers due to this type of work environment.

Workplace bullying is harmful

Victims of bullying often experience significant physical and mental health problems. These can include:

  • High stress
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Financial problems due to absence
  • Reduced self-esteem
  • Phobias
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Increased depression/self-blame or
  • Digestive problems

Because of this, bullied employees often use more sick leave than others or more than they used prior to being bullied. They are also more likely to experience problems at home, transfer to a different job or even quit their jobs. Emotional distress is almost always a resulting experience.

Workplace bullying also harms employers through increased costs and lower productivity. Increasingly, employers are recognizing these costs and have implemented anti-bullying policies.

Workplace bullying is costly

Workplace bullies can cost companies millions of dollars. According to the Washington State Department of Labor and Industry, the costs of bullying generally fall into four categories:

  1. Replacing staff members that leave as a result of being bullied, cost of training new employees and loss of experience.
  2. Work effort being displaced as staff cope with bullying incidents (i.e., effort being directed away from work productivity and toward coping).
  3. Costs associated with investigations of ill treatment, potential legal action and loss of employer reputation.
  4. Increased health, sick leave and workers compensation costs.

Ways bullying can affect you

Longstanding bullying has been proven to be extremely harmful to an employee’s health. For more information in regard to this, please visit the Workplace Bullying Institute.

... At work

  • You constantly feel agitated and anxious.
  • You wait in your car feeling ill, finally forcing yourself to go into work.
  • You are always waiting for bad things to happen.
  • Others at work have been told to stop. talking with you.
  • You are being undermined by someone else’s personal agenda.
  • Criticism are constant and unwarranted.

... Outside of work

  • You obsess about work at home.
  • Your doctor notices skyrocketing blood pressure and recent health problems.
  • You feel ashamed of being controlled by another person at work.
  • Your desire to do anything is gone on your days off from work.
  • Your favorite activities are no longer enjoyable.
  • You feel like throwing up the night before the start of your work week.