Toxic culture | Workplace bullying hits record high - are digital comms to blame?

Allegations of workplace bullying have rocketed in the past year, with shifts towards remote working and digital communications playing a key part, new data indicates.

The number of employment tribunal claims containing allegations of bullying has increased 44% from 581 to a record high of 835 in the 12 months leading up to April 2022, according to research from employment and partnership law specialists Fox & Partners.

The legal experts said this jump in bullying claims should be a “canary in the coal mine” moment for many organisations, and is a strong signal that many leadership teams are failing to address a growth in toxic work cultures.

The firm explained that old-fashioned strategies for identifying and dealing with problematic behaviours are breaking down in changing working environments, and challenges with differing attitudes to flexible working can also result in conflict with managers.