"Employees working in traditional open-plan offices are significantly more likely to report experiencing bullying than those in private or smaller shared spaces. This difference was still evident even after taking age, role, and personality into account, suggesting that environment really matters when it comes to bullying risk."
"The team identified two kinds of open-plan office: around 30% of participants worked in a traditional open-plan office with no access to private space, while 13% worked in what the authors describe as 'activity-based' offices. While still open-plan, these are more flexible environments with different zones for quiet work, collaboration, and meetings."
"Across the whole sample, around 1 in 8 workers (12.8%) reported experiencing bullying. Rates were highest among those in manual or frontline roles and in those working in all types of open-plan offices."
Research indicates that open-plan offices are linked to higher rates of workplace bullying, lower wellbeing, and increased sick leave. Employees in traditional open-plan offices report more bullying experiences than those in private or smaller shared spaces. The study analyzed survey data from over 3,300 office workers in Sweden, revealing that 12.8% of participants experienced bullying, with higher rates among manual or frontline roles. The findings suggest that the office environment significantly influences bullying risk, regardless of individual factors like age or personality.
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