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Workplace bullying is often treated as a worst-case scenario — something leaders hope good culture and strong policies will prevent.
But new data suggests a different reality.
In HRchat Podcast episode 893 – due for release next week – Bill Banham interviews Mary Cullen, Founder and Managing Director at Insight HR, about the Irish Workplace Bullying Report 2026. What emerges is a clear message: bullying isn’t rare, and it isn’t going away.
Instead, it has become a routine, recurring issue for HR teams and business leaders — one with measurable impact on retention, trust, and organisational performance.
Bullying Is Not Declining — It’s Embedded
One of the most striking findings is just how widespread bullying complaints have become.
- 85% of respondents have handled at least one bullying complaint
- Nearly half have handled between 3 and 10 cases
- 62% dealt with a complaint in the past year alone
This isn’t a shrinking problem either. Over the past five years, 55% of respondents say complaint levels have stayed the same or increased, with only a small minority seeing any reduction .
As Mary Cullen put it during our conversation, bullying is now “part of the day-to-day reality” for many organisations — not an exception, but something HR teams must be equipped to handle repeatedly.
The Human Cost: Exit, Not Resolution
Beyond prevalence, the report highlights something even more concerning: the personal impact.
- 54% of respondents say they’ve experienced bullying themselves
- Of those, 67% went on to leave their organisation
- And 80% of leavers say bullying was the main reason
This is where workplace bullying moves from a conduct issue to a business risk.
Every unresolved case has the potential to drive out talent, damage employer brand, and erode psychological safety — often quietly, without ever appearing in headline metrics.
Power Dynamics Drive Most Complaints
Another consistent theme — both in the data and in Mary’s real-world experience — is the role of hierarchy.
- 70% of complaints are raised against managers or senior leaders
- 56% are specifically against managers
- Most complaints come from non-managerial employees
This reinforces a critical point: workplace bullying is rarely just about personality clashes. It is deeply tied to power, leadership behaviour, and organisational structures.
As we discussed on the podcast, this makes prevention less about policies — and more about how managers are trained, supported, and held accountable.
Policy Is Not the Problem — Execution Is
On paper, most organisations appear well-prepared.
- 94% have a workplace bullying policy
- Most have updated policies in the past two years
But the report exposes a clear gap between having policies and making them work.
- 38% of organisations provide no bullying-related training
- Where training exists, it is often limited to induction
- Less than half provide ongoing learning or reinforcement
This gap came up strongly in my conversation with Mary: organisations tend to focus on compliance — what’s written down — rather than capability — what managers and employees can actually do in practice.
Confidence Without Capability
There’s also an interesting tension in how organisations handle complaints.
Many HR leaders and managers feel confident in their ability to deal with bullying. But that confidence isn’t always backed by training:
- 71% have conducted workplace investigations
- Yet only 56% have received training to do so
In other words, organisations are asking people to manage complex, high-stakes situations without fully equipping them.
And when investigations do happen, many struggle with key aspects like report writing and mediation — areas that require specialised skill, not just policy awareness.
Where Organisations Go Wrong
In our discussion, Mary and Bill explored some of the most common missteps:
- Relying on policies without practical training
- Assuming “zero tolerance” works, even when high performers are protected
- Failing to address issues early, allowing behaviours to escalate
- Treating complaints as isolated incidents rather than cultural signals
These gaps explain why complaint levels remain steady — or rise — even in organisations that believe they are doing the right things.
The Most Effective Fix? Start With Managers
If there’s one clear takeaway from both the report and the podcast, it’s this:
Manager capability is the fastest lever for reducing bullying risk.
More than half of respondents in the report are calling for:
- Better support for managers to handle conflict early
- Stronger leadership commitment to respectful workplaces
- Ongoing monitoring of culture and behaviours
That aligns directly with what Mary sees in practice. When managers are trained to:
- Set clear behavioural expectations
- Handle difficult conversations early
- Distinguish between performance management and harmful conduct
…many issues are resolved before they escalate into formal complaints.
From Compliance to Culture
Workplace bullying isn’t a new issue. But what this report makes clear is that it remains deeply embedded in organisational life — and costly when ignored.
For HR leaders and business executives, the challenge is no longer awareness.
It’s execution.
Moving from:
- Policy → Practice
- Reaction → Prevention
- Compliance → Culture
Because by the time a formal complaint is raised, the damage — to people, performance, and trust — is often already done.
