Our findings: perpetrators

We asked targets to tell us who their perpetrator was:

• In a high majority (53%) of the cases, the perpetrator was the direct line manager. In 27% of cases the perpetrator was a senior line manager and in 23% it was a colleague. A colleague could be at any level within the organisation, for example another team member, manager, or director
• Reverse bullying, being bullied by subordinates, direct reports, or volunteers, was referenced less frequently and related to 18% of experiences
• 3% of respondents described clients or freelancers as perpetrators
• In a very small number of cases individuals were bullied by more than one person
• In 49% of cases the bullying lasted more than nine months, and many individuals described the bullying as continuing, whether action was taken or not