Almost half of workers in Ireland have experienced bullying, according to a new survey which shows employers often fail to deal with the problem when it arises.

Of those who said they had experienced workplace bullying, close to 60 per cent reported a failure by management to resolve the issue effectively.

The survey of 1,000 people, which was conducted by One4all, reveals that in the majority of incidents, companies failed to offer counselling and/or HR support. Moreover, only 16 per cent of bullying victims said their employer had tried to resolve problems by bringing both sides together in a structured manner.

The study also shows that many Irish workers are experience higher levels of stress with as many as 56 per cent of survey respondents saying they had called in sick because they were stressed andhad worked long hours.

Some 20 per cent of workers also admitted to worrying “greatly” about job security.

According to the study, the number of respondents saying their employers don’t care about the health of their workers has risen from 35 per cent to 43 per cent over the last year.