BULLYING has topped a list of employee complaints following a study of human resource managers, with almost 50% of respondents saying they had dealt with cases including racial and sexual harassment.

The research from employment specialist Industrial Relations Services highlights an increasing problem that fleet managers may have to deal with.

Although there is no legislation to prevent bullying, there have been instances where employers have been taken to tribunal under harassment or discrimination legislation.

Companies should have policies in place to deal with such cases. The first step would be to approach a line manager.

A spokesman at the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) said: ‘Organisations must be confident that they have the knowledge and policies in place to deal with individual cases.’

For more information, visit www.managers.org.uk/bullying