Up to 100 suicides a year could be result of workplace bullying, a conference in Dublin has heard.
Research shows that two-fifths of workers in this country say they have experienced bullying, and that there is a significant cost to the economy as a result.
This weekend's conference at Trinity college was attended by representatives from across Europe and the world, to examine the growing problem of workplace bullying.
A third of workers in this country say they have been humiliated and shouted at, nearly as many have had obscene language used at them.
More than one in every 20 workers has experienced sexual harrassment, the same proportion has been threatened or has faced actual physical violence.
Poor management is most often cited as being the primary problem.
The conference heard that line managers are more likely than fellow workers to use racist bullying.
However, in Norway, the incidence of bullying has halved in the past 15 years.
Updated data on bullying in the workplace is due from the ESRI in November, after which the government will present its proposals to tackle the problem.
