Two-thirds of people in Malta believe bullying is present at their workplace, and two of every five say they experienced it, a recent study has indicated.

The study, Bullying and Ostracism at the Workplace in Malta, run by bBrave and PwC, surveyed 2,400 individuals online in the first half of this year and ran 10 focus groups on workplace bullying.

Bullying can be defined as unwanted or abusive behaviour that involves the imbalance of power, evolves over time, and is repeated, the study says.

Of those who answered the online survey, 64 per cent believe bullying exists at their workplace, 56 per cent said they have witnessed bullying, and 40 per cent say they have personally experienced it. 

Of those 40 per cent, a fifth said they felt bullied every day. 

Two-thirds said they did not report bullying behaviour. Of those who did, only four per cent of respondents said their situation was handled “very well”. 

Twenty-nine per cent said their situation was handled “not well at all”.  

Four out of five who reported they were bullied said it was psychological and emotional. 

Group mentality, in the form of cliques, and not being invited to events, may be common among colleagues. Humiliation and picking on people for banter were also seen to be common.

Sixty-nine per cent said the bullying they experienced was due to work-related reasons.

“One day, my colleague, who never spoke to me, said ‘you’re a [expletive] from abroad, you think you’re so smart with your qualifications,” one respondent, who was part of the focus group, told researchers.

The report also highlighted how people are often bullied by their superiors. Aggressive behaviour, belittling, prohibiting employees from taking their leave, and calling outside of working hours, were all mentioned as examples.

“It is a nightmare when your superior is trying to drown you... My employer told me ‘you have to work till midnight, otherwise you’re not entitled to your performance bonus,” one individual said.

Superiors abusing their position to negatively effect an individual’s career was also mentioned.

“Examples include threatening one’s position, progression, promotions, and opportunities; not allowing an employee to use their full skillset,” the report says.

Social class (22%), body appearance (15%), and age (22%) were other reasons why people said they were bullied.

Women (43%) were more likely to be bullied as opposed to men (38%), and over half of persons with disabilities said they were bullied. 

Just under a tenth of those who said they were bullied said they engaged in self-harm and/ or had suicidal thoughts and several described “a severely undermined sense of self”.

Individuals find it difficult to express their pain at the workplace with their loved ones, the report says, and this can lead to emotional outbursts at home.

Only two per cent of respondents admitted to bullying someone themselves. 

The EU co-financed study recommended workplaces introduce anti-bullying policies, prioritise employee health and well-being and organise training to handle such situations better.