Workplace Bullying Can Cause Death

Monday 6th of January 2020

Workplace Bullying Can Cause Death

New findings suggest being bullied at work won’t just affect you emotionally, but could also have serious consequences for your health.

The occurrence of heart-related problems such as heart attacks was increased by 59% in the bullied compared with the non-bullied. “The removal of workplace bullying would mean we could avoid 5% of all cardiovascular cases,” says Xu from University of Copenhagen.

Apart from this, victims are associated with a 1.46 times increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes over the ensuing decade. As workers are bullied, their stress levels increase leading to unhealthy habits such as excess eating or drinking too much alcohol.

Unfortunately, a vast majority tends to overlook bullying in the workplace and underestimate its impact on the victims.

Employers should be aware of the adverse consequences to their employees from experiencing workplace bullying. Anyone who believes they are experiencing mental or physical health as a result of bullying is recommended to speak to someone, such as a general practitioner or counsellor.