Detection of Workplace Bullying

Employee satisfaction and, consequently, performance in companies are often significantly impaired by discrimination and bullying from colleagues or superiors. While this primarily affects the victims—who may suffer from psychological issues, anxiety, and, according to the experience of our detectives in Nuremberg, resulting physical illnesses—there are also long-term consequences for the employer. Employees fail to collaborate as sound company policy would require, and harmonious interaction suffers, which in turn negatively impacts revenue and growth.

It is no coincidence that the biennial "Nuremberg Award for a Discrimination-Free Corporate Culture" is presented by the city’s Human Rights Office, promoting initiatives to improve workplace atmosphere and support human rights, including equality, inclusion of foreign and disabled employees, social engagement, and rejection of child and forced labour. The private and commercial detectives of Kurtz Investigations Nuremberg are similarly committed to assisting both private clients seeking help with bullying or discrimination, and employers aiming to identify and remove perpetrators, thereby fostering a healthier working environment: +49 911 3782 0154.

Bullying – No Longer an Exceptional Case

Experience shows that bullying and discrimination in the workplace are far from rare. According to two 2016 surveys (on personally experienced bullying and workplace bullying), one in seven employees (15 per cent) had been subjected to bullying. This most commonly involved withholding important information (63 per cent) and disparagement in front of others (62 per cent). Our clients reported, as did 56 per cent of survey respondents, lies spread about them at work, being "set up" by colleagues, or being "thrown under the bus" in 53 per cent of cases. Few victims report these issues to management, especially when senior colleagues or supervisors are involved.

Discrimination and Bullying Are Not Trivial Matters

Company leaders should be aware of the negative impact of discrimination and bullying on employee morale and productivity. According to the German government’s bullying report, bullying causes economic losses of €15 to €25 billion annually, mainly due to reduced productivity and increased sick leave resulting from the psychological and physical consequences for affected employees, including burnout or incapacity to work.

Both private and commercial detectives from Nuremberg are engaged to document recurring incidents of discrimination or bullying. The scope of their services ranges from documenting written abuse, such as discriminatory emails, to legally permissible use of microphones or cameras, and even embedding a detective to directly observe and record bullying, among other methods.

The Victim Is Not Automatically the “Weaker Sex”

Contrary to common belief that bullying victims are predominantly female, expert opinion in the literature suggests that “a comparable victimisation rate for both sexes can be assumed”. However, the Government’s Bullying Report, based on a representative telephone survey, concluded that 75 per cent more women than men are affected. The Government sees a paradox in the high number of female victims given the low proportion of women in certain roles; in fact one could argue the opposite: it is precisely the only partially realised equality and equal treatment of women at work that contributes to the massive form of bullying against the supposedly weaker sex, because male perpetrators may feel safer in their numerical dominance than women, who find themselves in the minority.

The impression that women are more frequently affected by workplace discrimination and bullying probably also results from the fact that women’s threshold for seeking external help is lower than men’s, so more women are captured by institutions. Kurtz Commercial Detective Agency Nuremberg and Franconia can confirm this impression, as they also more frequently receive enquiries from female clients. However, the suffering pressure is likely the same for both sexes: one in four victims is bullied daily, one in three several times a week, which few can simply shrug off, especially when a superior is the bully — a worrying 38.2 per cent of cases in the Government’s Bullying Report.

Escaping the Spiral — Nuremberg Detectives Can Help

The consequences of bullying are, in addition to the obvious psychological (and possible physical) effects, of great magnitude for the affected employee, the company structure and the employer’s financial losses: bullying often leads to an internal change of position within the company or even a (un)willing resignation, which for the affected person can be a blessing or a curse (sometimes both). Moreover, 43.9 per cent of bullying victims surveyed by the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reported having had to take sick leave at least once due to the effects of bullying (including 20.1 per cent with sickness lasting longer than six weeks).

In any case, those affected are advised to confide either in the next-higher superior (hierarchically above the bully), the works council, or our commercial detectives from Nuremberg so that the necessary documentation of bullying or discrimination can be compiled and thus provide victims with a court-admissible basis for action against the perpetrators. Company management should also be aware that the company’s success must not be carried on the backs of individuals who suffer as collateral damage. To protect your company from financial setbacks, responsible parties should understand that eliminating bullying in the workplace is of incalculable value — the private and commercial detectives of Kurtz Investigations Nuremberg stand ready to assist you vigorously: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-nuernberg.de.