Workplace bullying is a serious matter but it can be tackled through training and management, one industry body has said.
Mike Petrook, spokesperson for the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), said: "There should be a statement of commitment from the senior management … saying that bullying is unacceptable. There also needs to be a clear indication that bullying is a disciplinary offence."
He added that firms should aim to "create empowering cultures" through training so that people were able to handle such matters properly.
And SMEs that fail to tackle bullying in the workplace could be losing out with a report by the Samaritans suggesting that 13 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2005. It said that this cost UK firms a total of £3.7 billion.
The survey also revealed that young employees felt most vulnerable to stress.
