<\/p>\n
The SA Institute of Employee Relations Professionals, established in 2025, is working to address the issue by promoting ethical workplace practices and strengthening professional standards in employee relations. The organisation also plans to relaunch an anonymous reporting hotline aimed at protecting victims and encouraging reporting.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Executive Chairman Lwandile Hasheni said workplace bullying is widespread across both public and private sectors, affecting organisations of all sizes. Hasheni said local research indicates that more than 70% of employees have experienced some form of bullying, highlighting what has been described as a serious and pervasive problem.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Hasheni said bullying is not always overt, with many cases involving subtle forms of psychological pressure. These can include workplace sabotage, where employees may face unexplained increases in workload or interference with tasks, making it difficult to meet deadlines. Hasheni said such practices can lead to prolonged stress, forcing some employees to resign or endure hostile environments in silence.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Fear of retaliation remains a major barrier to reporting, with many employees reluctant to come forward due to concerns about victimisation or job security. Hasheni said this is often compounded by organisational dynamics, where perpetrators may hold senior positions, limiting the effectiveness of internal reporting mechanisms.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Hasheni said while SA has labour legislation that protects workers from harassment, including provisions under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, implementation and enforcement remain key challenges. Policies may exist within organisations, but their effectiveness depends largely on leadership commitment.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Hasheni said addressing workplace bullying requires strong accountability at senior levels, particularly where executives or senior managers are involved. In cases where leadership is implicated or fails to act, employees may have little recourse within internal systems.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
To address this gap, the institute is developing external reporting mechanisms that allow employees to raise concerns outside their workplace. These channels are intended to provide safe and confidential avenues for reporting alleged misconduct, with follow-up investigations aimed at holding organisations accountable.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Hasheni said tackling workplace bullying will require a coordinated approach involving stronger governance, effective policy implementation and a cultural shift within organisations. The initiative forms part of broader efforts to create safer, more transparent workplaces and improve employee wellbeing across sectors.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":36528,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-36527","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Corporate bullying is increasingly recognised as a major threat to employee wellbeing and productivity, with concerns that its scale in South Africa (SA) may be significantly underestimated.","published_date":"","news_description":"Corporate bullying is increasingly recognised as a major threat to employee wellbeing and productivity, with concerns that its scale in South Africa (SA) may be significantly underestimated.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/36527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/36527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36529,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/36527\/revisions\/36529"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=36527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}