Regardless of its source, workplace bullying can have serious negative effects on employees, such as:

• Stress
• Absenteeism and low productivity
• Lowered self-esteem and depression
• Anxiety
• Digestive upsets
• High blood pressure
• Insomnia
• Trouble with relationships due to stress over work
• Post traumatic stress disorder

Workplace bullying is also bad for business. Some of the ways that companies suffer due to bullying include:

• High turnover, which is expensive for companies as they invest in hiring and training new employees only to lose them shortly thereafter, possibly to a competitor
• Low productivity since employees are not motivated to do their best and are more often out sick due to stress-related illnesses
• Lost innovations since the bully is more interested in attacking his or her victim than advancing the company, and the victims become less likely to generate or share new ideas
• Difficulty hiring quality employees as word spreads that the company has a hostile work environment