"Even After Reporting, Situation Remains the Same"... 73.5% of Employees Endure Power Abuse and Harassment

73.5% of Office Workers 'Endure or Ignore Bullying'
Three Years Since Workplace Bullying Prohibition Law... "Protection Measures Must Be Strengthened"

A survey revealed that three out of four office workers endure workplace bullying or harassment without reporting it. The photo shows office workers hurrying at the Gwanghwamun intersection in Seoul on September 13, unrelated to any specific expressions in the article. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A survey revealed that the number of office workers who endure workplace power harassment or bullying without reporting it has increased. Despite the 'Workplace Harassment Prohibition Act' being in place for over three years to eradicate workplace bullying, there are still criticisms that follow-up measures remain insufficient.

On the 10th, Workplace Power Harassment 119 announced that it conducted a survey of 1,000 office workers from the 2nd to the 8th of last month.

The survey results showed that 29.1% of respondents experienced workplace bullying in the past year. This is a 15.4 percentage point decrease from 44.5% in September 2019, shortly after the Workplace Harassment Prohibition Act was implemented.

Previously, as workplace power harassment issues continued to arise, the government enacted the 'Workplace Harassment Prevention Act' in July 2019 to eradicate bullying at work and prevent retaliation afterward. The related law defines workplace harassment as acts by employers or employees who use their superior position or relationships at work to cause physical or mental suffering or worsen the working environment beyond an appropriate scope to other employees.

However, responses to workplace bullying have become more passive compared to before the law was enacted. According to the organization, among those who experienced bullying, 73.5% answered that they 'endured it or ignored it,' which is about 14 percentage points higher than the 59.7% reported in the September 2019 survey. This means that three out of four office workers endure bullying at work without reporting it. Additionally, 15.8% said they quit their jobs altogether. In contrast, only 7.6% reported the incidents to their company or related institutions.

When asked why they did not report, 74.5% said it was because they did not believe the situation would improve even if they took action. Those who endured bullying fearing future disadvantages in personnel matters accounted for 12.8%.

In fact, 66.7% of those who reported were not recognized as victims of workplace bullying. Furthermore, 23.3% said they faced unfavorable treatment because they reported the incidents.

These survey results indicate that even after three years since the law’s implementation, the reporting process still lacks trust from victims. Accordingly, some voices call for strengthening protective measures to ensure no disadvantages arise from reporting, so victims can actively address workplace power harassment and bullying issues. Additionally, there are calls for the necessity of organizational culture and awareness improvement surveys and mandatory preventive education.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.