Could better IT departments nip cyberbullying in the bud?

Cyberbullying may be associated with the schoolyard, but it is also becoming an increasing problem in the workplace, according to new research.

A team of academics from the University of Sheffield and Nottingham University found offensive texts and emails are now as common at work as 'conventional' bullying.

Eight out of ten respondents to a survey said they had experienced cyberbullying behaviour from colleagues during the past six months, while up to 20 per cent said they received this kind of treatment once a week.

This is likely to have an impact on productivity, as the impact on wellbeing was found to be especially damaging to workers and they were also less likely to report it.

The report will be presented at the Festival of Social Science hosted by the Economic and Social Research Council later this month, but it could prompt business owners to recruit IT specialists in order to monitor staff use of technology more carefully.

Indeed, this could become as important as the IT estate management recently highlighted by Attenda.net's Ray Blackman.

"Overall, those that had experienced cyberbullying tended to have higher mental strain and lower job satisfaction," warned Dr Iain Coyne of Nottingham University.

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Posted by Richard Esquilant

Source: The Sales Engineer News