Twenty-eight percent of employees report experiencing harassment, bullying, or discrimination at work. This widespread issue drives billions in annual costs from lost productivity and employee turnover.
Key Takeaways
- 2.3 hours of work time are lost per employee per week due to interruptions, which can contribute to workplace stressors that escalate anger
- 28% of employees report they have experienced harassment, bullying, or discrimination at work (2021 global survey reported by Gallup)
- 33% of employees say they feel they are treated unfairly at work (2016–2017 survey referenced by the OECD), pointing to fairness-related anger triggers
- 62% of employees say they are less productive after experiencing disrespect/incivility at work (survey-based finding by Work Institute/Globoforce referenced by multiple outlets)
- 63% of employees say they feel burnout at work (2023 survey), a factor that increases irritability and anger risk
- 55% of employees report that they have left a job due to feeling mistreated (2018 survey), illustrating turnover linked to anger-driven conflict
- $8.5 billion estimated cost of workplace bullying/harassment in the U.S. (2018 RAND estimate widely cited in workplace bullying economic impact research)
- $225.8 billion U.S. cost associated with work-related injuries and illnesses (BLS, 2022 estimate for costs category), reflecting impacts of hostile/anger-related incidents in safety outcomes
- $200 billion estimated cost of lost productivity due to workplace violence annually (NSC summary citing U.S. estimates), reflecting economic consequences of aggression/anger
- 25% increase in likelihood of retaliation when managers respond poorly to complaints (peer-reviewed workplace harassment/retaliation research summarized by law reviews)
- 45% of employees report they do not know how to report harassment (2018 global survey summarized by Compliance/HR trade press)
- 21% of workers report witnessing abusive conduct at work (2017 survey by EU/Eurobarometer reported by European sources), signaling climate risk
- 22% of employees in the U.S. say they have been treated disrespectfully at work (2020 survey summary by Microsoft Work Trend Index), relevant to anger and conflict triggers
- 2.0x higher team performance with psychological safety (Google Project Aristotle study), relevant because safety reduces anger-driven confrontation
- 4.6 million workers report they were exposed to workplace violence or threat (BLS/OSHA related data summaries), motivating interventions
Workplace disrespect, harassment, and burnout cost billions and cost productivity, driving anger, violence, and turnover.
Related reading
01 · Category
Workplace Stressors4 stats
01
2.3 hours of work time are lost per employee per week due to interruptions, which can contribute to workplace stressors that escalate anger
02
28% of employees report they have experienced harassment, bullying, or discrimination at work (2021 global survey reported by Gallup)
03
33% of employees say they feel they are treated unfairly at work (2016–2017 survey referenced by the OECD), pointing to fairness-related anger triggers
04
33% of workers report they experienced at least one form of workplace violence in 2019 in the U.S. (BLS/OSHA statistics compiled by the National Safety Council)
Interpretation
Workplace Stressors Interpretation
Workplace stressors linked to anger are widespread and escalating, with employees losing 2.3 hours per week to interruptions and 28% reporting harassment or bullying plus 33% reporting unfair treatment and workplace violence in the U.S.
02 · Category
Behavioral Outcomes5 stats
01
62% of employees say they are less productive after experiencing disrespect/incivility at work (survey-based finding by Work Institute/Globoforce referenced by multiple outlets)
02
63% of employees say they feel burnout at work (2023 survey), a factor that increases irritability and anger risk
03
55% of employees report that they have left a job due to feeling mistreated (2018 survey), illustrating turnover linked to anger-driven conflict
04
41% of employees say they are not engaged at work (Gallup 2023), indicating engagement loss that can follow anger and conflict
05
78% of employees say they would be more productive if they were better supported by their manager (Gallup/Workplace insights), linking manager conflict/anger to productivity
Interpretation
Behavioral Outcomes Interpretation
Behavioral outcomes show that workplace anger and disrespect are strongly tied to reduced performance and retention, with 62% of employees saying they are less productive after experiencing incivility, 55% reporting they have left a job due to mistreatment, and 41% saying they are not engaged at work.
03 · Category
Economic Impact6 stats
01
$8.5 billion estimated cost of workplace bullying/harassment in the U.S. (2018 RAND estimate widely cited in workplace bullying economic impact research)
02
$225.8 billion U.S. cost associated with work-related injuries and illnesses (BLS, 2022 estimate for costs category), reflecting impacts of hostile/anger-related incidents in safety outcomes
03
$200 billion estimated cost of lost productivity due to workplace violence annually (NSC summary citing U.S. estimates), reflecting economic consequences of aggression/anger
04
$218 billion: U.S. cost of workplace harassment and bullying estimate (2014/2015 commonly cited figure by EEOC-adjacent research summaries)
05
$7.9 billion: annual cost of workplace violence in U.S. according to some estimates summarized by OSHA/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
06
$103 billion annual cost of employee turnover to U.S. employers (2022 Gallup estimate), a behavioral outcome often connected to hostile/anger-driven environments
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
For the economic impact of anger in the workplace, the U.S. faces staggering annual costs, with workplace bullying and harassment alone estimated at $8.5 billion and broader losses pushing into the hundreds of billions such as $218 billion for harassment and bullying and about $200 billion in lost productivity from workplace violence.
More related reading
04 · Category
Compliance And Risk3 stats
01
25% increase in likelihood of retaliation when managers respond poorly to complaints (peer-reviewed workplace harassment/retaliation research summarized by law reviews)
02
45% of employees report they do not know how to report harassment (2018 global survey summarized by Compliance/HR trade press)
03
21% of workers report witnessing abusive conduct at work (2017 survey by EU/Eurobarometer reported by European sources), signaling climate risk
Interpretation
Compliance And Risk Interpretation
From a Compliance and Risk angle, the biggest warning is that poor complaint handling can raise retaliation likelihood by 25%, while gaps in reporting are widespread with 45% of employees unsure how to report harassment and 21% witnessing abusive conduct.
05 · Category
Management Interventions7 stats
01
22% of employees in the U.S. say they have been treated disrespectfully at work (2020 survey summary by Microsoft Work Trend Index), relevant to anger and conflict triggers
02
2.0x higher team performance with psychological safety (Google Project Aristotle study), relevant because safety reduces anger-driven confrontation
03
4.6 million workers report they were exposed to workplace violence or threat (BLS/OSHA related data summaries), motivating interventions
04
Mindfulness training reduced psychological distress by small-to-moderate effects in meta-analyses (Hedges g approx. 0.38 in early meta-analyses; indicates anger/stress reduction potential)
05
CBT programs show moderate reductions in anger (systematic review), indicating therapy as an intervention
06
$1.00return per $1.00 invested: average ROI of employee assistance programs (EAP ROI estimate in EAP industry research reports)
07
56% of employees say their manager’s communication affects whether they feel engaged (Gallup), implying that better communication can reduce anger escalation
Interpretation
Management Interventions Interpretation
Management-focused interventions appear to matter because alongside 22% of U.S. employees reporting disrespect at work, psychological safety relates to 2.0x higher team performance and structured supports like mindfulness and CBT show meaningful reductions in distress and anger, with EAPs reporting an average ROI of $1.00 return per $1.00 invested.
report visual · Key figures
Workplace drivers of anger and their impact
Employees frequently report experiences and perceptions—harassment, unfair treatment, disrespect/incivility, and burnout—that are linked to lower productivity, disengagement, and higher turnover risk.
28%
28% of employees report they have experienced harassment, bullying, or discrimination at work (2021 global survey report
33%
33% of employees say they feel they are treated unfairly at work (2016–2017 survey referenced by the OECD), pointing to
22%
22% of employees in the U.S. say they have been treated disrespectfully at work (2020 survey summary by Microsoft Work T
62%
62% of employees say they are less productive after experiencing disrespect/incivility at work (survey-based finding by
63%
63% of employees say they feel burnout at work (2023 survey), a factor that increases irritability and anger risk
41%
41% of employees say they are not engaged at work (Gallup 2023), indicating engagement loss that can follow anger and co
source-verifiedgallup.com · oecd.org · microsoft.com · globoforce.com · adeccousa.com2023
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Kevin O'Brien. (2026, February 13). Anger In The Workplace Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/anger-in-the-workplace-statistics
MLA
Kevin O'Brien. "Anger In The Workplace Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/anger-in-the-workplace-statistics.
Chicago
Kevin O'Brien. 2026. "Anger In The Workplace Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/anger-in-the-workplace-statistics.
Sources & references
25 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+6 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)