We’ve all heard stories of bosses bullying staff, but international research has exposed a troubling pattern playing out in workplaces across the globe: upward bullying, where leaders are systematically bullied by their subordinates.
And most organisations are doing nothing about it.
According to a recent report, Understanding and Addressing Upward Bullying, 71% of senior leaders have experienced upward bullying, while nearly 80% said they had witnessed it happen to a colleague.
What is upward bullying?
Upward bullying occurs when employees engage in covert, coordinated behaviour designed to undermine a leader’s authority.
In the report, respondents described a pattern of behaviour that includes:
- Subordinates refusing to follow reasonable directions
- Spreading gossip and rumours about the leader
- Withholding information needed for decision-making
- Filing strategic complaints to discredit the leader
- “Mobbing” where groups collectively work to undermine authority
- Psychological manipulation, including gaslighting
- Using victim narratives to deflect scrutiny
When leaders try to address the issue, they often find themselves on the receiving end. As one respondent noted: “Once I raised concerns, the narrative flipped. I was no longer the leader; I was the risk.”
The human cost
The impact on leaders is significant. 93% shared that upward bullying affected their confidence, with many reporting lasting erosion of their professional identity and reluctance to pursue future leadership roles.
Over half said they had delayed or avoided decisions entirely out of fear of backlash from their teams.
The organisational damage runs just as deep:
- 81% reported loss of trust and morale
- 74% experienced mental health issues
- 63% saw leadership turnover
- 58% noted reduced productivity
Nearly three-quarters witnessed competent leaders pushed out of their organisations entirely, their departures quietly reframed as issues of “fit” or “transition” rather than what they actually were.
Why organisations fail to act
The report found that 28% of upward bullying cases were ignored until they reached crisis point. Worse, 27% were never recognised as bullying at all, instead being misclassified as communication issues, performance concerns, or interpersonal conflict.
Report author Maureen Kyne explains: “When organisations fail to name the behaviour accurately, they default to risk-averse processes that protect systems. It is a predictable response to systems that punish exposure rather than protect authority.”
This is where traditional punitive approaches fail.
Partnership Not Punishment™: A better approach
When organisations default to punitive processes, they create exactly what upward bullies exploit: fear of exposure, defensiveness, and reluctance to act.
Partnership Not Punishment™ offers a different path:
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Name the behaviour accurately
Don’t minimise upward bullying as “communication issues” or “strong personalities.” Call it what it is: workplace bullying that targets people in positions of authority.
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Create safe reporting channels
Leaders need trusted escalation processes where they can report upward bullying without fear that complaints will be used against them.
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Early intervention
94% of respondents believed earlier intervention could have reduced or prevented the behaviour they experienced or witnessed. Don’t wait for crisis point.
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Educate boards and executives
Leadership teams need targeted education on how to recognise and respond to upward bullying as a distinct risk, not just a variation of ordinary workplace conflict.
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Investigate properly
When upward bullying is reported, conduct thorough, impartial investigations. Don’t assume the person in the leadership role must be the problem.
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Address root causes collaboratively
Once the behaviour is identified, work with all parties to understand what’s driving it. Sometimes upward bullying emerges from:
- Poor change management
- Unclear role boundaries
- Previous leadership failures creating distrust
- Team members feeling unheard or undervalued
Partnership Not Punishment™ means addressing these underlying issues while holding people accountable for bullying behaviour.
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Protect leadership capability
Support leaders who have been targeted. Provide coaching, mentoring, and psychological support. Don’t leave them to manage the aftermath alone.
What I’ve seen in my investigation work
I’ve investigated cases where what initially appeared to be “a difficult manager” turned out to be systematic upward bullying.
The pattern is often the same:
- A new leader is appointed (or an existing leader introduces change)
- A group of employees resist the change
- They begin coordinating complaints, withholding cooperation, spreading rumours
- The leader tries to address the behaviour
- The complaints escalate, often framed as the leader being “aggressive” or “not listening”
- The organisation, unsure how to respond, often sides with the larger group
- The leader leaves, exhausted and blamed
In these cases, Partnership Not Punishment™ approaches work because they:
- Focus on restoring functional working relationships, not just assigning blame
- Address the legitimate concerns employees may have about change or leadership style
- Hold people accountable for bullying behaviour without creating further division
- Rebuild trust and authority structures that work for everyone
The bottom line
Upward bullying is real, it’s damaging, and it’s largely unaddressed.
Organisations that invest in education, structured assessment, and early action protect leadership capability before damage becomes irreversible.
Those that do not will continue to lose good leaders, undermine authority structures, and create workplaces where bullying is tolerated as long as it flows in the “right” direction.
Key takeaways for employers:
- Name upward bullying accurately; don’t minimise it as “communication issues”
- Create safe reporting channels for leaders experiencing this behaviour
- Intervene early, before situations reach crisis point
- Educate boards and executives on recognising upward bullying
- Investigate thoroughly and impartially
- Use Partnership Not Punishment™ approaches to address root causes
- Support leaders who have been targeted
Upward bullying thrives in organisations that punish exposure rather than protect authority. Don’t let fear of conflict prevent you from addressing behaviour that undermines your leadership team.
Need help investigating workplace bullying?
I specialise in workplace investigations, including complex cases involving upward bullying, lateral violence, and systemic workplace dysfunction.