Workplace Bullying in Germany and the US: Two Studies Compared

Germany’s federal government commissioned a national study of workplace bullying. A US advocacy organization, the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI), has been running national surveys since 2007. This article compares their 2024 findings and what each asked matters. The German study asked about the previous six months: 6.5% of employees were bullied at least weekly. The US survey asked about current or past work experience: 32% of adults reported bullying. The article also examines who is most at risk, how bullying affects health and sick days, and how culture and law shape what employees report. Read on.