Does Your Business Harbour Overt Or Covert Bullies?

Feb 3
4 min read

Workplace bullying can quietly erode a company’s culture and productivity and bottom line. Many business leaders recognise overt bullying and its aggressive, obvious behaviour. But often overlook covert bullying, which is just as if not more damaging. Understanding the difference between these two types of bullies is crucial for creating a healthy work environment where everyone can thrive; fast-tracking your business and your team to prosper.

Eye-level view of an empty office hallway with a single chair pushed against the wall — Workplace bullying is not always overt.

What Is Overt Bullying?

Overt bullying is the type most people imagine when they hear the word “bully.” It involves direct, visible actions that intimidate or harm others. Examples include:

Yelling or shouting at colleagues.
Publicly criticizing or humiliating someone.
Threatening job security or promotions.
Physical intimidation or aggressive body language.

This kind of bullying is easier to spot because it disrupts the workplace atmosphere openly. Employees may complain, or managers might witness the behaviour firsthand. However, overt bullying still causes serious harm, such as lowered morale, increased stress, and higher turnover rates.

How Overt Bullying Affects Your Business

Decreased productivity: Fear and anxiety reduce focus and motivation.
Damaged team dynamics: Trust breaks down when one person dominates or bullies others.
Legal risks: Overt bullying can lead to harassment claims or lawsuits.
Reputation harm: Word spreads quickly about toxic workplaces, making hiring difficult. Unhappy employees vent their feelings in family or social settings about "mean" co-workers and colleagues and the do-nothing-about-it managers and employers. This is human nature and the fall-out of these discussions is a real threat, not only your business's reputation but also the acquisition of potential customers.

What Is Covert Bullying?

Covert bullying is more subtle and often harder to detect because it is someone quietly plotting, gaslighting you and making up lies to get their own way. It is insidious, dangerous and involves indirect, calculated actions that undermine or isolate a targeted person or group of people without obvious confrontation.

While overt bullying is straightforward to identify, covert bullying is without question way more dangerous in the long run because it allows the perpetrator (yes, perpetrator. Bullying in any form is a criminal offence) to maintain an unblemished reputation while slowly and deliberately eroding their target's professional reputation, mental health and their career.

Signs of a Covert Workplace Bully

Examples include:

Spreading rumours or gossip.
Putting people down behind their back but being nice to their face.
Manipulating people in the workplace like chess pieces to control the environment for their benefit - this is called coercive control.
Excluding someone from meetings, conversations or social events.
Befriending under the guise of mentorship/friendship then gaslighting and undermining ideas and contributions.
Consistently and in a light-hearted manner, causing an employee to feel foolish or repeatedly doubt themselves.
Giving unfair workloads or impossible deadlines.
Taking credit or assigning credit to someone else for your ideas and contributions.
Undermining programs offered to employees by the company for career advancement and wellbeing.

Covert bullying is way more damaging to employees. Overt bullying you can see. It is literally in-your face. Covert bullying works under the surface. It creates a toxic environment where employees feel unsupported and undervalued and mentally unsafe. Victims end up doubting themselves or feel powerless to speak up. It is 100% gaslighting dressed-up as a co-worker wanting "what is best for you".

Signs of Covert Bullying in Your Workplace

Employees suddenly become withdrawn or less engaged.
Increased absenteeism or turnover in specific teams.
Unexplained drops in performance or morale.
Complaints about feeling isolated or ignored.

Why Both Types of Bullying Harm Your Business

Whether bullying is overt or covert, the impact on your business is significant. Both types:

Lower employee engagement and satisfaction.
Increase stress-related health issues and absenteeism.
Reduce collaboration and innovation.
Create a culture of fear, mistrust and division.

No one should experience bullying at work and every company is responsible for caring for its employees, ensuring both their physical and psychological safety. Ignoring covert bullying because it is less visible allows problems to fester and spread. Addressing only overt bullying leaves a large part of the problem untouched.

How to Identify and Address Both Types of Bullying

Create Clear Policies and Training

Define bullying clearly, including examples of overt and covert behaviour.
Train managers and employees to recognize signs and respond appropriately.
Encourage open communication and provide safe channels for reporting.

Foster a Supportive Culture

Promote respect and inclusion at all levels.
Recognise and reward positive behaviour.
Address conflicts early before they escalate.

Take Action When Bullying Is Reported

Investigate complaints thoroughly and confidentially.
Apply consistent consequences regardless of bullying style.
Support victims with counselling or mediation if needed.

Monitor Workplace Climate

Conduct regular employee surveys to detect hidden issues.
Observe team dynamics and intervene when necessary.
Encourage feedback and continuous improvement.

Real-World Example

A company observed a decline in team productivity and an increase in absenteeism. Initially, managers attributed this to overt bullying but found no clear evidence of such incidents.

Through anonymous surveys, they discovered that covert bullying was prevalent; some employees were being excluded from important meetings, social events, conversations and were the target of gossip and rumour spreading - leading to feelings of isolation, disengagement, depression, and ultimately job dissatisfaction.

The company implemented the Workforce Wellness Training Program, which provided employees with tools to effectively overcome overt and covert bullying. This resulted in a significant reduction in the impact of bullying on employees. The program's easy-to-use strategies showed that within a few weeks - morale improved and productivity increased across all levels.