More companies need to put systems in place to prevent business bullying having an adverse effect on both their staff and their business, claims a leading sales expert.
Steven Timberlake founder of sales pipeline management company SalesRadar says high pressure positions, such as sales positions are particularly susceptible to seeing employees becoming victims of bullying.
His comments come as the problem is highlighted across the UK in Anti-Bullying week.
Timberlake knows that, whilst much of bullying is focussed on schools, we shouldn’t pretend that it ends when we join the adult world.
He adds, ‘Research by the TUC (Trade Union Congress) has shown almost a third of people claim they have been bullied at work and this is alarming.
‘High pressure positions such as sales, which have a big turnover in staff, are particularly susceptible to this and really it needs nipping in the bud before it becomes a huge problem leading to sick leave, industrial tribunals and companies having the morale of their workforce sapped.
Women (34 per cent) are more likely to be victims of business bullying than men (23 per cent) and nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of cases the bullying is carried out by a manager.
The highest prevalence of workplace bullying is among 40 to 59-year-olds, where 34 per cent of people are affected. More than one in three (36 per cent) people who report being bullied at work leave their job because of it.
Timberlake thinks that companies need to spend more time in educating their workforce about the different ways certain types of characters interact with people, and build in codes of conduct into their organisation where they can work under pressure without the negative repercussions that can sometimes happen in such environments.
The research by the TUC, carried out to coincide with 2015’s Anti-Bullying week shows 46 percent of people feeling bullied say it had a detrimental effect on their work performance. It also reveals that it had led to 22 per cent of people taking time off work.
Further reading on staff morale
