Quarter of employees have experienced bullying at work

Workplace friendships and working relationships that go sour can damage the emotional health, productivity and motivation of the UK’s 29 million employees, according to research from Canada Life Group Insurance.

As the credit crunch continues to bite and employees worry about their job security, workplaces are proving to be increasingly hostile environments. Indeed, just over a quarter (26%) of employees believe that a senior colleague has abused their position of power – and 14% believe that they have deliberately been set up to fail at a task by a colleague who they do not get on with.

In addition, 26% have fallen out with a colleague who they say has made their working life more difficult, and 25% feel as though they have been poorly treated because they are different or ‘do not fit in’.

Unhappy workplace relationships are not conducive to a productive working environment – and in some cases, have led to employee absence. One in ten (10%) have taken time off as sick to avoid bullying in the workplace, while 11% have done so because they say have been treated unfairly by a line manager.