One in five U.S. workers reports being bullied or harassed at work. This exposure elevates depression risk and contributes to billions in annual productivity loss.
Key Takeaways
- 30% of employees who experience workplace bullying report that it caused them to consider leaving their job (turnover intent associated with bullying).
- 60% of workers report that bullying affects their mental health (mental health impact share).
- 55% of targets reported sleep problems attributed to workplace bullying/harassment (sleep disturbance impact).
- 31% of bullied employees reported depression symptoms (depression impact share).
- EU employers can face legal liabilities for workplace bullying/harassment under health and safety and equal treatment duties; investigations and litigation costs can be substantial (legal exposure quantified in enforcement reports).
- 38% of HR leaders reported that bullying/harassment led to higher turnover-related recruiting costs (HR cost impact share).
- 76% of organizations provide employee training on harassment prevention (training coverage).
- 42% of organizations conduct climate or pulse surveys that include bullying/harassment measures (survey-based detection share).
- 29% of organizations use targeted training for remote/hybrid work bullying and harassment risks (remote training adoption).
- 1 in 5 workers in the U.S. report being bullied or harassed at work (prevalence incidence estimate).
- 55% of employees who reported harassment said it did not change their situation (ineffectiveness share).
- $57.7 billion in annual U.S. productivity loss is attributed to workplace harassment (annual cost estimate).
- $4.1 million is the median settlement amount range in workplace harassment litigation cases in the U.S. (median/typical settlement figure).
- Organizations with manager training report 30% fewer bullying complaints (complaint reduction share).
- 78% of employees say they believe management should intervene in bullying situations (intervention expectation share).
Workplace bullying harms mental health and boosts turnover risk, costing billions and driving costly legal exposure.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence Rates1 stats
01
30% of employees who experience workplace bullying report that it caused them to consider leaving their job (turnover intent associated with bullying).
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
In terms of prevalence, 30% of employees who experience workplace bullying say it leads them to consider leaving their job, showing how commonly bullying translates into real turnover intent.
02 · Category
Health & Productivity6 stats
01
60% of workers report that bullying affects their mental health (mental health impact share).
02
55% of targets reported sleep problems attributed to workplace bullying/harassment (sleep disturbance impact).
03
31% of bullied employees reported depression symptoms (depression impact share).
04
28% of employees experiencing bullying reported increased errors at work (performance impact share).
05
2.5x higher likelihood of turnover for employees who experience workplace bullying compared with those who do not (turnover multiplier).
06
3.8x higher risk of depression among those exposed to workplace bullying in meta-analytic findings (relative risk).
Interpretation
Health & Productivity Interpretation
In the Health and Productivity category, workplace bullying is strongly linked to poor wellbeing and reduced effectiveness, with 60% of workers reporting mental health harm and targets showing 2.5x higher turnover risk.
03 · Category
Legal & Economic Cost2 stats
01
EU employers can face legal liabilities for workplace bullying/harassment under health and safety and equal treatment duties; investigations and litigation costs can be substantial (legal exposure quantified in enforcement reports).
02
38% of HR leaders reported that bullying/harassment led to higher turnover-related recruiting costs (HR cost impact share).
Interpretation
Legal & Economic Cost Interpretation
From a legal and economic cost perspective, EU employers can face liabilities under health and safety and equal treatment duties, and 38% of HR leaders say bullying or harassment increases turnover related recruiting costs, showing that workplace bullying can be both a compliance risk and a measurable budget hit.
04 · Category
Prevention & Policy3 stats
01
76% of organizations provide employee training on harassment prevention (training coverage).
02
42% of organizations conduct climate or pulse surveys that include bullying/harassment measures (survey-based detection share).
03
29% of organizations use targeted training for remote/hybrid work bullying and harassment risks (remote training adoption).
Interpretation
Prevention & Policy Interpretation
While most workplace prevention and policy efforts are building through harassment training at 76% of organizations, only 42% regularly track bullying through climate or pulse surveys and 29% offer targeted remote or hybrid training, leaving key detection and risk coverage gaps.
05 · Category
Prevalence & Exposure1 stats
01
1 in 5 workers in the U.S. report being bullied or harassed at work (prevalence incidence estimate).
Interpretation
Prevalence & Exposure Interpretation
Under the Prevalence and Exposure lens, the data show that about 1 in 5 workers in the U.S. report being bullied or harassed at work, indicating this is a widespread issue rather than a rare one.
More related reading
06 · Category
Reporting & Outcomes1 stats
01
55% of employees who reported harassment said it did not change their situation (ineffectiveness share).
Interpretation
Reporting & Outcomes Interpretation
In the Reporting and Outcomes category, 55% of employees who reported harassment said it did not change their situation, underscoring how often reporting fails to deliver meaningful results.
07 · Category
Economic & Hr Impacts2 stats
01
$57.7 billion in annual U.S. productivity loss is attributed to workplace harassment (annual cost estimate).
02
$4.1 million is the median settlement amount range in workplace harassment litigation cases in the U.S. (median/typical settlement figure).
Interpretation
Economic & Hr Impacts Interpretation
Workplace harassment is linked to major Economic and HR impacts, driving $57.7 billion in annual U.S. productivity losses and contributing to costly litigation settlements, where the median range reaches $4.1 million.
08 · Category
Prevention & Controls1 stats
01
Organizations with manager training report 30% fewer bullying complaints (complaint reduction share).
Interpretation
Prevention & Controls Interpretation
Organizations that provide manager training see 30% fewer bullying complaints, showing that effective prevention and control starts by equipping managers with the skills to prevent incidents before they escalate.
09 · Category
Culture, Policy & Law3 stats
01
78% of employees say they believe management should intervene in bullying situations (intervention expectation share).
02
Germany’s Federal Anti-Discrimination Act (AGG) has been in force since 2006, providing legal protections against harassment in employment (law duration/protection).
03
In Canada, the National Standard on Psychological Health and Safety at Work recommends nine core elements to prevent psychological harm including harassment and violence-related risks (standard elements count).
Interpretation
Culture, Policy & Law Interpretation
With 78% of employees expecting management to intervene, strong workplace culture and clear policy enforcement are essential, reinforced by long-standing legal protections like Germany’s AGG since 2006 and Canada’s National Standard that targets psychological harm.
10 · Category
Research & Measurement6 stats
01
Meta-analysis finds workplace bullying is associated with increased depressive symptoms with an effect size of 0.44 (effect size).
02
Systematic review: workplace bullying/harassment is associated with increased risk of post-traumatic stress symptoms with pooled odds ratio of 1.7 (pooled odds ratio).
03
Longitudinal study evidence indicates bullying exposure predicts subsequent job stress with a correlation coefficient of 0.30 (longitudinal association magnitude).
04
Cross-sectional evidence indicates bullying is associated with reduced organizational commitment with standardized beta of -0.28 (relationship strength).
05
Experimental research shows that implementing structured bystander intervention training increases reporting intention by 25% among employees (intention uplift).
06
Validated measurement tools: the Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ) uses a 22-item scale commonly applied to assess bullying exposure across workplaces (scale item count).
Interpretation
Research & Measurement Interpretation
Research and measurement consistently link workplace bullying to measurable mental health and work outcomes, including an effect size of 0.44 for increased depressive symptoms and a standardized beta of -0.28 for reduced organizational commitment, showing the value of validated tools like the 22-item Negative Acts Questionnaire for quantifying these impacts.
report visual · Key figures
Workplace bullying impacts are widespread
Bullying is linked to mental health harm and work-related outcomes, while many organizations still lag in prevention and detection.
30%
30% of employees who experience workplace bullying report that it caused them to consider leaving their job (turnover in
60%
60% of workers report that bullying affects their mental health (mental health impact share).
55%
55% of targets reported sleep problems attributed to workplace bullying/harassment (sleep disturbance impact).
28%
28% of employees experiencing bullying reported increased errors at work (performance impact share).
30%
Organizations with manager training report 30% fewer bullying complaints (complaint reduction share).
76%
76% of organizations provide employee training on harassment prevention (training coverage).
source-verifiedindeed.com · apa.org · academic.oup.com · sciencedirect.com · hbs.edu · complianceweek.com
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). Bullying In The Workplace Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/bullying-in-the-workplace-statistics
MLA
Aisha Okonkwo. "Bullying In The Workplace Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/bullying-in-the-workplace-statistics.
Chicago
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "Bullying In The Workplace Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/bullying-in-the-workplace-statistics.
Sources & references
26 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+5 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)