It is certain that many workplace clashes are the result of differing opinions or personalities, but new research shows the workplace itself plays a big role too.

A study from experts at the University of South Australia says organisations and business structures play a role in workplace harassment, with widespread social and economic impacts.

Figures have shown that around 12 per cent of Australian workers are exposed to some kind of workplace harassment, but the chain of effects from the bad experiences of one worker can flow throughout a business and begin to have measurable impacts on productivity and the bottom line.

“We know a lot about the negative effects of harassment but in order to design better prevention initiatives, we need to discover more about the processes involved in harassment situations, as they play out over time, so that the best intervention points can be identified,” says University of South Australia School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy researcher Dr Michelle Tuckey.

The UniSA team has completed a large-scale review of current workplace harassment literature over the last three decades, which was published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology this week.

“Research shows workplace harassment is generally not an issue of personality conflicts but rather a reflection of the whole organisational system.

“Yet our review of current studies done in the field found the overwhelming majority of harassment research has been conducted at the individual level, with 85 percent of studies only including information from one data source – most commonly the target or victim.”

They say future studies into the sources of harassment in the workplace should try to gauge a number of factors at once.

“Research looking into workplace harassment from multiple perspectives, such as witnesses and supervisors, will provide a better understanding of what factors are associated with workplace harassment,” Dr Tuckey says.

“Prevention needs to take place at a number of levels. Organisations must have a clear bullying and harassment policy, and clear channels for resolving conflict before it escalates.

“In addition, senior management should build a culture that reinforces respectful behaviour and gives workers a voice to quickly resolve threats to mental health and well-being.”

The costs can hit so much more than simple finance.

“Workplace harassment is bad for workers and bad for employers. For individuals, the adverse impacts include greater mental health problems, more physical health complaints, greater burnout and, in the worst case scenario, suicide,” Dr Tuckey says.

“Organisations also lose out – they face costly compensation costs, higher turnover, and lower job satisfaction and commitment to work.”

The study has been published in the Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology.