According to bullystatistics.org, workplace bullying is defined as "when a person or group of people in a workplace single out another person for unreasonable, embarrassing, or intimidating treatment. Usually the bully is a person in a position in authority who feels threatened by the victim, but in some cases the bully is a co-worker who is insecure or immature. Workplace bullying can be the result of a single individual acting as a bully or of a company culture that allows or even encourages this kind of negative behavior."

Not surprisingly, most people told Executive Confidante that a bullying manager robbed them of their motivation to do a good job. Worse, they said they felt helpless because appealing to higher authorities at work rarely resolved the situation.

When asked why they thought no action was taken after a complaint was filed, "the most commonly seen response is that companies simply ignore the issue, either because of a lack of process for dealing with the problem or because of conflict avoidance," the report said.

Executive Confidante even supplies managers with a "Workplace Bullying Calculator" so they can get a rough picture of what bullying is costing their employer. Essentially, the calculator addresses several factors — the probable rate of bullying existing in any one workplace, set at 13 percent; the cost of that bullying in terms of replacing those who quit because of it; average days lost per year to stress from bullying, estimated at 25; and then factors specific to the individual workplace, such as number of employees, annual revenue, average salaries, etc.

Read: Employees stressed to the point of quitting

"While many companies have a conduct policy in place, which is a great start, our survey indicates that few are actively implementing it," said author Kalli Matsuhashi, owner of Executive Confidante. "Making workplace bullying illegal is one way to manage the issue, an option that many countries around the world have begun to take. Perhaps companies in the United States can take proactive steps now, before a law is in place, to increase awareness and begin to reduce the behaviors that lead to such psychological and physical distress at work."

For managers who want to tackle bullying at work, here are the forms of bullying that, according to bullyingstatistics.org, one should be looking for:

• Shouting or swearing at an employee or otherwise verbally abusing him or her;
• One employee being singled out for unjustified criticism or blame;
• An employee being excluded from company activities or having his or her work or contributions purposefully ignored;
• Language or actions that embarrass or humiliate an employee;
• Practical jokes, especially if they occur repeatedly to the same person. 

The website says companies need to address bullying in the company policy manual and create a process for dealing with it.

"Because workplace bullying can be devastating to employees and companies, some companies have instituted zero-tolerance policies toward workplace bullying," the website says. "In these companies, if an employee is being bullied he or she needs to document the bullying and present the problem to the proper person in the company, usually someone in human resources or upper management. Companies with good anti-bullying policies usually hold meetings from time to time to remind employees what workplace bullying is, how to report it, and the consequences for bullying."

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