Workplace bullying erodes trust, crushes morale and drags down performance, leaving lasting damage for employees and the organization. It has no place in a healthy workplace, which is why HR must recognize it early and act the moment it begins.
In this guide, we’ll explore what bullying is and isn’t, the ways it shows up at work and how HR can address it — helping create workplaces that are respectful, supportive and safe for everyone.
Let’s dive in.
What Does Bullying in the Workplace Look Like Today?
Bullying at work isn’t tough feedback or a one-off bad day. It’s repeated, unreasonable behavior meant to intimidate, humiliate or undermine someone, creating a hostile, unsafe environment.
It shows up as verbal abuse, social exclusion, rumor-spreading or sabotaging someone’s work — in person or online. And in today’s distributed workplaces it’s gotten quieter and more digital: left off the invite for a virtual meeting, ignored in group chats or pinged with passive-aggressive messages.
These patterns harm your culture, directly impact trust and hit mental health hard. Left unchecked, they drive disengagement, burnout and turnover — quietly undermining collaboration, retention and performance.
Signs of Workplace Bullying
Workplace bullying can be subtle or overt, but it almost always affects employee well-being, team dynamics and overall productivity. HR professionals should be alert for patterns of behavior or changes in employee performance that may indicate someone is being bullied. Common signs include:
Declining performance or missed deadlines
An employee who usually meets goals and completes work on time but suddenly struggles may be experiencing stress from a hostile work environment.
Frequent absenteeism or sick days
Increased time away from work can signal that an employee is avoiding a toxic situation.
Withdrawal or isolation
Employees may disengage from colleagues, avoid meetings or limit communication to protect themselves.
Heightened emotional responses
Signs of anxiety, irritability or visible stress can indicate the emotional toll of bullying.
Increased complaints or grievances
Employees may report conflicts, unfair treatment or escalating interpersonal issues more frequently.
Sudden desire to transfer or leave
Requests for transfers or resignations can be a reaction to ongoing workplace hostility.
Changes in behavior or morale
Loss of confidence, reluctance to contribute ideas or diminished enthusiasm for work may reflect bullying experiences.
By recognizing these signs early, HR professionals can take proactive steps to address bullying, support affected employees and maintain a safe and productive workplace.
What’s the Difference Between Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace?
Harassment is unwanted behavior targeting someone based on protected traits like race, gender, age, religion, disability or sexual orientation. Because it violates the law, it carries serious consequences.
Bullying, on the other hand, is repeated, harmful behavior meant to intimidate or undermine — but it isn’t tied to protected characteristics. While still damaging and unacceptable, bullying doesn’t always meet the legal bar for harassment.
Knowing the difference helps organizations address both issues effectively and step in appropriately.
Types of Workplace Bullying
Workplace bullying can take many forms, but most instances fall into three main categories based on the relationship between the individuals involved. Understanding these types can help organizations identify patterns and address them effectively before they escalate.
Manager-to-Employee Bullying
Manager-to-employee bullying refers to when a supervisor or manager misuses their position of authority to intimidate, belittle or undermine an employee.
Examples include setting unrealistic deadlines, withholding important information, publicly criticizing performance or deliberately excluding someone from opportunities for advancement, like a promotion. Because of the inherent power imbalance here, manager-to-employee bullying can be particularly damaging and uncomfortable for employees to report. (Hence the importance of offering speak-up hotlines for employees!)
Peer-to-Peer Bullying
Peer-to-peer bullying involves colleagues at the same organizational level. It can include gossiping, spreading rumors, intentionally excluding someone from meetings and projects or sabotaging their work. This type of bullying is often fueled by competition, personal conflicts or group dynamics and can have serious repercussions on a team’s ability to get work done.
Employees experiencing peer-to-peer bullying often turn to their manager, unlike with manager-to-employee bullying. In fact, 61% of employees turn to their manager first when reporting a workplace issue.
Institutional Bullying
Institutional bullying occurs when harmful behaviors are embedded in an organization’s culture, policies or practices. This can include consistently overloading employees with work, tolerating toxic behavior from high performers or enforcing rules in ways that feel punitive or unfair. Because it is often normalized or goes unchallenged, institutional bullying can be difficult to address, making it harder for employees to speak up or for meaningful change to happen.
Institutional bullying often drives employee turnover, as people leave workplaces where toxic behaviors are tolerated or unfair practices are deemed expected.
All three types of workplace bullying share one crucial trait: they create a harmful environment that undermines trust, damages morale and jeopardizes both individual well-being and organizational success. Because of that, HR and ER teams have a responsibility to take bullying in the workplace seriously.
Examples of Workplace Bullying
Bullying in the workplace can take many forms — some obvious, others more subtle. The more examples of workplace bullying you recognize, the better equipped you are to identify and address it before it harms employees and the organization.
Verbal and Psychological Bullying Examples
- Repeatedly insulting, belittling or mocking a colleague in front of others
- Spreading malicious rumors or gossip to damage someone’s reputation
- Publicly criticizing an employee’s work without offering constructive feedback
- Threatening someone’s job security without cause
- Giving the silent treatment or deliberately ignoring a colleague’s contributions
Physical Bullying Examples
- Inappropriate physical contact such as shoving, hitting or blocking someone’s path
- Damaging or tampering with an employee’s personal belongings or workspace
- Throwing objects in anger or as an act of intimidation
- Standing over someone in a threatening way during disagreements
- Physically isolating a worker by moving their desk or workspace without explanation
Cyberbullying Examples
- Sending harassing or harmful messages via email, text or workplace chat apps
- Posting derogatory comments or memes about a colleague in group channels
- Excluding someone from important online meetings or communications
- Sharing private or confidential information about an employee without consent
- Using social media to mock, embarrass or discredit a coworker
Exclusion Examples
- Intentionally leaving someone out of team meetings or decision-making processes
- Withholding key information needed for them to succeed in their role
- Excluding a colleague from social gatherings or workplace events
- Assigning menial or no work at all to undermine their value
- Ignoring someone’s input or ideas during group discussions
What is Not Considered Workplace Bullying?
Not all difficult or uncomfortable interactions at work qualify as bullying. It’s important to distinguish bullying from normal workplace conflict. For example, providing constructive feedback, setting performance expectations and making decisions about job duties — even if they’re unpopular — don’t qualify as bullying when done professionally and fairly.
Occasional disagreements or personality clashes between coworkers also don’t automatically qualify as bullying unless they escalate into a pattern of repeated, targeted behavior intended to harm. Understanding these distinctions helps ensure that concerns are addressed the right way.
How Bullying Impacts a Workplace
Bullying doesn’t just hurt individuals — it disrupts teams, drains energy and threatens the success of the entire workplace. (Yes, it really is that serious.) Here’s exactly what that looks like in practice.
Impact on Office Culture
When employees feel unsafe, engagement drops, productivity declines and deadlines are missed as focus shifts from work to toxic behavior. This environment breaks down teamwork, making it harder for the organization to achieve its goals.
Impact on Individual Employees
Employees subjected to bullying experience increased stress, anxiety and reduced self-confidence. These effects contribute to burnout, higher absenteeism and long-term mental health issues, driving many to leave for healthier workplaces.
Impact on HR and the Organization
HR professionals already balance managing investigations, supporting employees and addressing systemic issues. Workplace bullying adds a significant layer of complexity, consuming time, energy and organizational resources.
Investigating complaints, mediating conflicts and implementing corrective actions require hours of HR attention that could otherwise be spent on strategic initiatives. Beyond the immediate workload, bullying drives turnover, increases operational costs and poses reputational risks that can ripple across the organization.
How HR Professionals Should Handle Bullying in the Workplace
Effectively addressing workplace bullying requires a proactive and structured approach. Here’s how HR professionals can take meaningful action:
Leverage Speak-Up Reporting Platforms
Enable employees to report bullying safely and confidentially. Employee reporting tools increase openness, encourage early intervention and help capture issues that might otherwise go unreported. Offer both anonymous and named reporting. Need support finding the right tool? Check out our guide to the best reporting hotlines.
Implement Prevention Tactics
Stop bullying before it starts. Train managers and teams to recognize early warning signs, promote respectful behaviors and address conflicts constructively. For a deeper dive, see our Identifying and Preventing Workplace Bullying resource.
Develop and Enforce Clear Policies
Create a comprehensive anti-harassment and anti-bullying policy that clearly outlines unacceptable behavior and consequences. Ensure all employees understand these policies and review them regularly to keep them top of mind. Check out our 11 Essential HR Policies and Procedures Every Company Should Consider in 2025 for guidance.
Use Robust Documentation Tools
Maintain detailed records of bullying reports, investigations and outcomes to support transparency and defensibility. HR documentation software can help.
Train Managers and Leaders
Managers are often the first line of defense. Equip supervisors with strategies to address bullying when it arises, mediate conflicts fairly and support a culture of accountability. A manager support tool is a great way to achieve this.
Encourage Peer Support and Allyship
Foster an environment where employees feel empowered to support colleagues experiencing bullying and speak up when they witness inappropriate behavior.
Conduct Regular Workplace Assessments
Periodically evaluate workplace culture, team dynamics and employee feedback to identify potential areas of concern and intervene early. Surveys are a practical way to achieve this.
Respond Promptly and Consistently
Take every report seriously and investigate thoroughly. Consistent handling of incidents builds trust and reinforces that bullying will not be tolerated.
Follow Up After Interventions
Ensure that resolved cases do not leave lingering issues. Check in with affected employees and teams to confirm the work environment remains safe and respectful. Successful HR case management software can support you with this so you’re not relying on memory alone.
Managing Workplace Bullying with HR Acuity
Addressing workplace bullying effectively requires timely reporting, thorough investigation and consistent follow-up. HR Acuity provides tools designed to help HR professionals handle these situations efficiently and fairly while protecting both employees and the organization.
Employees can submit concerns confidentially or anonymously, making it easier to identify issues early. Centralized case management keeps all documentation, communications and evidence organized for a thorough and defensible process. Standardized workflows and customizable templates guide HR teams through each step, reducing risk and improving fairness. And analytics and reporting features provide insights into trends, hotspots and opportunities for prevention.
By using HR Acuity’s platform, organizations can respond to bullying more quickly, reduce the impact on affected employees and maintain a safe, respectful workplace.
Ready to learn more? Explore how HR Acuity can support your team by booking a demo today.
