Office staff face bullying

One in three New Zealand office workers have experienced bullying in their workplace, according to research released by recruitment consultancy Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

The survey was conducted with 1,800 finance and HR professionals in 11 countries around the world, with the aim of providing insight to harassment at work.

The survey reveals that 32 per cent of all respondents in New Zealand reported bullying in the workplace.

Nigel Barcham, managing director of Robert Half Finance & Accounting says workplace bullying is clearly a problem and is unhealthy not only for the victims but for those organisations which are allowing it to continue.

"New Zealand employers need to put in place measures to detect, respond to and prevent bullying," he says. "They should encourage staff to report incidents of bullying and carry out thorough investigations to identify behavioural patterns."