Initial impact of harassment/bullying
Worsening mental or physical health is the most common immediate effect of harassment or bullying
(54%), especially anxiety, depression and difficulties with sleep or eating. A loss of self-confidence (46%)
is also common, as well as impacts on the worker’s job or career (53%) including the worker having
difficulties performing their job.
IMPACT AT THE TIME %
64
Impacted mental or physical health (Nett)**
47
Felt anxious
26
I had trouble with sleeping or eating (including overeating)
Took sick leave (up to 10 days)
9
I increased my use of alcohol/drugs
8
Took extended sick leave (over 10 days)
4
I self-harmed
2
4
1
2
1
1
Suicidal
Affected my health
65
49
19
14
9
53
Impacted career/work (Nett)***
29
Found it harder to perform my job
21
Resigned from my job
Left the industry
10
I was labelled a ‘troublemaker’
10
9
It affected my job or career prospects
5
Found it difficult to get another job
19
19
17
10
46
17
Negative feelings*
1
1
Other
1
1
It did not affect me
1
Unsure
Prefer not to answer
Any negative impact
46
40
Lost confidence in myself
It affected my relationships, e.g. with partner/ family/
whānau/ friends
1
0
13
4
1
78
18
9
My work colleagues ignored me or treated me poorly
Women (68%) vs
men (59%)
69
35
Felt depressed
88
68
33
83%
of those impacted by the
harassment/ bullying experienced
at least one of these impacts at
the time
Large or extremely negative impact
*Negative feelings include: felt angry; felt frustrated; felt disappointed; felt fearful; felt embarrassed; felt annoyed/irritated (<1%)** Includes:
Have PTSD/panic attacks (<1%)***Includes: Avoided the person/did not want to be around them; Felt let down/lost trust/faith in the company/
my manager; Felt uncomfortable around the person/affected my relationship with them; Didn’t want to go to work/changed shifts (<1%)
Base: Respondents who were impacted by sexual harassment, racial harassment, or bullying in the workplace – any impact (1,513), large or
extremely negative impact (512)
Q33a At the time, did the difficult situation affect you in any of these ways?
48
KANTAR PUBLIC 2022