The study conducted by pollster UCE Research and ePsycholodzy.pl, a psychotherapy website, also found that 22% of respondents said they had not experienced so-called “mobbing” while 8.1% were unsure and 6.1% could not remember.

Michał Murgrabia of ePsycholodzy.pl, one of the authors of the ‘Young Poles in the Clutches of Bullying’ report, said that apart from the prevalence of mobbing, pollees’ uncertainty was also revealing, and alarming.

“Respondents’ uncertainty may suggest that the problem of mobbing is more widespread than the responses indicate,” he was quoted by state news agency PAP as saying, adding that people may have been reluctant to mention their experience either through lack of awareness or because they thought it did not apply to them.

Murgrabia said the results were concerning as they showed problems with recognizing bullying as well as a lack of appropriate procedures and support available in companies.

He also pointed out that identical research conducted at the start of the year on the working Polish population as a whole had shown a bullying rate of 41%.

Murgrabia also commented on the prevalence of verbal violence in the workplace.

“It’s one of the most recognizable and destructive forms of mobbing,” he said. “It can lead to long-term health problems in victims, such as depression or burnout.”

The report revealed that men more often report being subjected to workplace harassment than women (24.7% versus 18.5%) and that it affects higher earners more – 25% of those earning above 9,000 zloty (€2,100) per month.

Murgrabia said the gender difference may be due to the more aggressive communication norms in male-dominated workplaces, and suggested that above-average earners may be exposed to greater pressure in more demanding professional environments.

He also drew attention to the low reported occurrence of physical violence and sexual harassment at work in Poland (both at 1.5% of respondents), which he attributed to greater social awareness and harsh legal consequences.

The survey was conducted on a representative sample of 800 working Poles aged 18–35.