Searches for “work bullying” surge as employees seek support outside workplace channels

Searches for “work bullying” rose sharply in October and November, according to analysis from YuLife.

The company reported that UK Google searches for the term increased by 114% month-on-month, with more than 12,000 searches during the period.

The rise suggests that employees are increasingly concerned about workplace conduct and may be looking for information or support outside formal organisational processes.

Recent research provides wider context for the trend. The 2025 University College London Labour Relations Study found that 14% of UK employees experienced some form of workplace abuse in the past year.

The CIPD’s 2025 Bullying and Conflict at Work report also identified a gap between organisational policy and employee experience: while 81% of HR professionals believe their organisation has effective procedures to address bullying and harassment, only 36% of employees who raised concerns said their issue was fully resolved.

YuLife’s analysis forms part of its ongoing monitoring of workforce wellbeing through public data trends.

The organisation said that search behaviour can reveal emerging workforce sentiment ahead of formal indicators such as turnover, sickness absence or engagement scores.

Aggregated, anonymised search data may therefore help employers identify early signs of anxiety or dissatisfaction among staff, particularly on issues such as bullying, burnout or workplace stress.