Ethnic workers 'bullied more'

It is the first time such a survey has been carried out

Research carried out in Wales has revealed that ethnic minority workers have been bullied five times more than their white colleagues.

Around 250 staff in both the public and private sector were interviewed for a survey by the University of Glamorgan.

The research found that a high proportion of non-white workers were suffering a catalogue of bullying from both managers and colleagues.

The survey was carried out by Dr Duncan Lewis of the University of Glamorgan's Business School and the Valleys Race Equality Council.

It is believed to be the first in the world to focus on workplace bullying among ethnic minority employees.

They also reported suffering stress burnout and increased levels of depression and anxiety. Dr Duncan Lewis, University of Glamorgan

It revealed that 25% of ethnic minority workers said they had been bullied - compared with just 5% of white staff.

They were five times more likely to be given demeaning jobs - and twice as likely to be ignored or excluded by their line manager.

Dr Lewis said the findings painted a "scary picture" of the situation in south Wales, and he called on trade unions, company managers and other organisations to work together to tackle the problem.

Researchers concluded that ethnic minority staff were :

Five times more likely than white workers to have been told to quit their jobs by colleagues;

Five times more likely than white workers to have been given demeaning tasks;

Three times more likely than white workers to report having been continually reminded of their errors by colleagues;

Twice as likely as white workers to have been ignored or excluded by their line manager;

Twice as likely as white workers to say they had been singled out by their line manager.

Dr Lewis said he hoped the results would make people think about the issue.

"The respondents' experiences of being bullied demonstrate a significant impact on their work," he said.

"Those who reported being bullied claimed to have reduced job satisfaction, motivation and attendance patterns.

"They also reported suffering stress burnout and increased levels of depression and anxiety.

"One in 10 even reported suffering suicidal thoughts. "We need trades unions, human resources departments and everyone working within organisations to recognise this is a problem which is humiliating, demeaning and has a business impact."

The results also suggest that victims lacked confidence in their companies' internal support structures.

"The evidence from this research shows us that less than 15% of those who reported suffering from bullying turned to their HR department for help, while one third turned to their GP," said Dr Lewis.

"Less than 10% took up official grievance routes. "This highlights how friends, family and work colleagues play informal but critical roles in surviving the bullying episodes.

"These findings suggest that much more work needs to be done to understand the true nature and extent of bullying inside UK organisations and how support networks operate in practice.

"The current systems are clearly failing."

Dr Lewis and his colleagues are now working with Cardiff University in a bidto carry out national research.