One-fifth of the UK workforce has experienced bullying – and ethnic minorities, women and the disabled are most likely to be victims, according to a new survey.

The study, carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in association with MORI and the Kingston Business School, has been carried out in advance of the ban bullying day on 7 November in a bit to urge employers to invest the resources needed to reduce bullying and harassment at work.

Mike Emmott, CIPD employee relations adviser, said: “Bullying and harassment is a serious problem in many workplaces and employers need to take the issue more seriously.

“It can damage individuals’ confidence, morale, motivation and sometimes their health causing them to be less productive and effective at work. It can also trigger absenteeism, make retention rates go down and both the employer’s reputation and bottom line can take a hit.

“Bullying can take many forms, including ridiculing personal characteristics, making unfair criticisms and ignoring people, as well as physical or verbal harassment.

“Employers need to be alert to the damage a bullying culture can cause. Line managers need to be able to recognise signs of bullying or harassment and take action to deal with the situation before it gets out of hand.

“Employees who are being bullied or harassed need to know how to complain, and feel reassured that they won’t be victimised if they do.”

The findings show public sector workers are more likely to experience bullying than their private sector counterparts – 22 per cent compared with 17 per cent. According to Emmott the difference between the public and private sectors may not be due to more bullying happening in the public sector but to greater awareness of the issue and recognition of the importance of dealing with it.

The groups most likely to become victims of bullying and harassment are black and Asian employees, women and disabled individuals.

Nearly one third (29 per cent) of Asian employees or those from other ethnic groups report having experienced some form of bullying or harassment compared with 18 per cent of white employees.

Employees with disabilities are at least twice as likely to report having experienced one or more forms of bullying and harassment (37 per cent) compared with non-disabled employees (18 per cent).

Emmott added: “Many organisations have anti-bullying and harassment policies, but changing people’s behaviour remains a challenge.

“Bullies don’t always recognise what they are doing and victims can be reluctant to complain. There is a real need for employers to explore the underlying issues, and consider for example if they should provide diversity training.

“People need to respect the contribution that others can make, regardless of gender, race and disability.”