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Extreme workplace bullying: 5 shocking examples

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To be bullied can be an isolating and embarrassing situation. However, no victims are alone. Often not even in the same workplace is only a single employee suffering though a similar fate.

If you have experienced extreme workplace bullying, discrimination or sexual harassment, you are not alone. The news headlines are never without disturbing stories of employees who have experienced such mistreatment from their boss or colleagues.

In this article, we look at five shocking examples of bullying that have made headlines in recent times, both in Australia and around the world.

Bullied apprentice hung from noose and poked with drill

In December 2023, WorkSafe Victoria reported that a Ballarat business had been fined for the horrendous and extreme workplace bullying suffered by one of its apprentices. Heating and cooling company Celsius Ballarat Pty Ltd was ordered to pay $10,000 and costs of $3,227.

The first-year apprentice experienced a series of harrowing incidents between July 2022 and March 2023. He had been spat on, shot with a nail gun and placed in headlocks. He also experienced sexually harassing behaviour. This included being struck in the groin and repeatedly poked with a drill while working on a ladder.

Abuse got worse, then called cops

The WorkSafe investigation also revealed that the apprentice had suffered taunts about his deceased father. If that was not bad enough, he had a bucket of water mixed with paint poured on him on a cold day.

The apprentice initially did not want to complain about the abuse. He feared that the company’s directors would retaliate against him. But this all changed in February 2023, when the apprentice was hung from a noose by two coworkers. Leaving him struggling for breath for a few seconds. It was after this horrible incident that the apprentice decided to call the cops.

Employer taken to court

The apprentice’s extreme workplace bullying complaint eventually made it to the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court. It found his employer had breached the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Specifically, for not having an adequate system to identify and address workplace bullying. Also, for not providing staff with training and guidance about workplace conduct.

The Court pointed out that Celsius Ballarat would have copped twice as big a penalty if it had not pleaded guilty.

Bully boss dismissed for ‘threatening to bury worker, urinate on his grave’

In November 2024, the CEO of Saudi Arabia’s multi-trillion dollar Neom project was dismissed for extreme workplace bullying and abusing his workers. The project, which is funded by the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, aims to build a Dubai-like megacity called Neom on the Red Sea coast. The CEO, Nadhmi Al-Nasr, was picked by the prince to oversee the project in 2018.

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Nadhmi Al-Nasr (World Economic Forum / Boris Baldinger) – Australia has rules and legislation in place to fight against bullies and harassers. Fight to stop the cycle of toxic workplace cultures.

Bragged about treating workers ‘like slaves’

Mr Al-Nasr has faced multiple accusations over the years, including extreme workplace bullying and making alarming threats. One of his threats was reported by media in 2020. During an emergency meeting, Mr Al-Nasr allegedly told his communications team, “If you don’t tell me who is responsible, I’m going to take a gun from under my desk and shoot you.”

In another instance, Mr Al-Nasr was recorded saying, “I drive everybody like a slave… When they drop down dead, I celebrate. That’s how I do my projects.” Media also reported that he had threatened to bury one worker in the desert and urinate on his grave.

“The white blokes are at the top of the tree”: Aussie involved in abuse

In 2024, the Neom project saw two other high-ranking executives quit amidst accusations of racism, corruption and misogyny. One of these was Australian Wayne Borg, who was Neom’s managing director for media.

In a recording of a phone call attained by media, Mr Borg called South Asian workers at Neom “f**king morons.” He went on to say “that is why white people are at the top of the pecking order.”

Mr Borg made other outrageous statements after an incident where three workers died. Employees who worked with Mr Borg reported that he said “A whole bunch of people die so we’ve got to have a meeting on a Sunday night.” He later went on to say that “you can’t train for stupidity” and that “the white blokes are at the top of the tree.”

In light of these media reports, Neom launched an investigation into Mr Borg’s behaviour and eventually axed him in September 2024.

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Wayne Borg (LinkedIn) – No one can make you feel inferior or less deserving of a safe and fun workplace. Employees are allowed to complain about poor work conditions without fear of adverse action.

Bully football coach sent to jail for drawing penis on student’s face

This story of bullying was picked up by media outlets in November 2024. In this case, the bullying wasn’t directed at a coworker, but rather at school students of a special needs school in the UK. Elliot Millar, a 21-year-old sports coach at the Life Wirral school was sent to jail for his “cruel bullying” of students, some of whom had autism, ADHD or other special needs.

Mr Millar’s actions were captured on video and later featured in a BBC documentary. He was secretly recorded by an undercover journalist. In one video recording, Mr Millar is seen approaching a student from behind, pulling back their head and drawing on penis on their face.

Footage presented in court also depicted Mr Millar placing students in headlocks and pretending to punch and kick one of them. In another incident, he slapped a student on the neck while the pupil was using a laptop, causing a minor scratch when the student attempted to pull away.

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Elliot Millar – “In 2022, 9.7% of respondents to the APS Employee Census said they were subjected to harassment or bullying in their current workplace in the past 12 months” (Australian Public Service Commission). Employees are protected by general protection laws, and should feel more comfortable calling out bullies and harassers.

Bully found guilty of assault

The secret recordings were later shown as evidence in the Liverpool Magistrates’ Court, which described Mr Millar’s bullying as “hideously inappropriate.”  The court heard victim impact statements, including one from the family of a boy who had been targeted. The family remarked, “Even though he was mistreated badly, he thought it was the norm.” Another victim described feeling “embarrassed” after the incident in which a crude drawing was made on their face.

The judge sentenced Mr Millar to 12 weeks in prison for four counts of assault and one charge of threatening behaviour. This sentence took into account his age and the fact that he did not have any prior run ins with the law.

Bullying from bosses causes journalist to have psychosis

In December 2024, a US journalist spoke to media about her harrowing ordeal dealing with extreme workplace bullying. Annalisa Klebers was the anchor for the morning program News12, which broadcast to homes in Connecticut and New Jersey. The 42-year-old filed a claim with a US employment tribunal for the workplace bullying she suffered.

Ms Klebers alleged that she had experienced humiliating and alienating treatment from News12. She claimed that it was in retaliation to asking for a pay increase to match her colleagues. Ms Klebers told media that the news director chose to “ice me out from the 9 a.m. daily editorial staff meeting.” She said that she was “humiliated by this. I was being alienated from the rest of our news team.”

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Annalisa Klebers (Facebook) – To bully someone in the workplace can result in being fairly sacked. Be careful how you interact with your colleagues and if unsure consult them. Some conflict is created as a result of miscommunication and termination would be unnecessary.

‘I felt like I was about to have a heart attack’: Bullying took toll on mental health

Ms Klebers told media that she was increasingly micromanaged and barred from taking part in on-air promotions. She also claimed that her managers began “blaming technical errors on me, things I had no control over.” Ms Kleber also claimed that her responsibilities expanded to include reporting assignments outside her anchor role, further intensifying her workload.

“There were days I would work from 4 a.m. until 5 p.m. to try and complete all of the additional work that was piled on to me,” she explained. Ms Kleber believed that her managers “wanted me to quit or react poorly.” She said that this workplace bullying caused her to feel “offended, humiliated and…belittled.”

“I was extremely stressed, I lost sleep, I lost weight, I was having panic attacks… I felt like I was about to have a heart attack,” she said.

‘One of the most traumatic things I’ve ever gone through’: Anchor has psychotic break

As the extreme workplace bullying continued, Ms Kleber’s mental health got worse. The tipping point was when she made a complaint to HR and handed in her resignation. However, News12 rejected her resignation, citing the need to complete an investigation into her allegations.

This, Ms Klebers said, “sent me into a spiral.” She said that her stress and anxiety hit “new levels” and that she became “suicidal.” On 13 May 2022, she suffered what she described as a psychotic break. This saw her spend six days in a psychiatric ward under suicide watch. Ms Klebers’ husband told media that watching her go through this was “one of the most traumatic things I’ve ever gone through.”

Dismissed while on medical leave

What made Ms Klebers’ situation even worse was that News12 dismissed her while she was on medical leave. She subsequently launched legal action against the news outlet, seeking back pay and damages for her suffering. Her lawyer said that the bullying she experienced from News12 “was completely out of bounds from a legal standpoint and simply unconscionable from a moral perspective.”

News12, meanwhile, said that it did not dismiss Ms Klebers but that she chose not to extend her leave or return to work. It labelled her claims as “entirely baseless” and said it would “defend against them vigorously.”

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Fortunately the rate of workplace bullying has steadily decreased over the previous 10 years. With the reported perceived rates of bullying and harassment dropping almost 7% since 2012 (APSC).

Who did you f*** last night”: Toxic culture revealed at Nine Entertainment

In October 2024, the widespread bullying and sexual harassment at Nine Entertainment – Australia’s largest media company – came under the media spotlight. This was after an independent report was published based on the feedback of over 1,000 staff. The investigation was conducted following allegations of sexual harassment against former Nine news boss Darren Wick.

Nine Entertainment admitted that the alleged victims of Mr Wick experienced “trauma” due to his “misuse of power and inappropriate behaviour.” Toxic workplace culture is a problem in the entertainment industry.

‘Someone is going to get their dick sucked’: Systemic issues identified

The report revealed that the worst and most extreme workplace bullying and sexual harassment took place in Nine Entertainment’s broadcast division. It found the division had a “very high prevalence” of abuse of power or authority, with 62 per cent of staff reporting such behaviour. Additionally, 57 per cent of broadcast employees reported experiencing bullying, discrimination, or harassment.

Sexual harassment was another significant issue, with 30 per cent of employees in the broadcast division reporting incidents. One employee stated that “it would not be uncommon to be asked or to hear: “Who did you f*** last night?” or “someone is going to get their dick sucked.”

‘Touched me on the bum’: HR covers up rampant sexual harassment

Numerous other employees shared their experiences of inappropriate workplace behaviour. One staff member recounted an incident where a senior colleague “touched me on the bum at the Christmas party and at other times would rub my legs under the table.” They also observed the same individual behaving similarly with other women.

Another employee described the constant barrage of comments from a male colleague about their appearance. They said this “made me feel like I was just a piece of meat to be ogled at.” Over time, they said the harassment “eroded my confidence. It just chipped away at it.”

The report revealed that perpetrators of harassment were not held accountable by Nine Entertainment. In fact, one worker said that “it is drilled into us to never go to HR. They are very much on the side of the company.” Multiple workers stated that complaints were covered up by the HR department. Instead of holding perpetrators accountable, the company warned workers not to interact with specific individuals lest they get harassed.

Toxic behaviours were normalised

An employee who worked in the Nine newsroom said that they experienced “debilitating” anxiety prior to work each day. They said their boss would “humiliate me in front of everyone else on the team.”

Workers attested to the fact bullying and harassment was treated like everyday, normal occurrences. One employee noted, “we used to talk about being bullied, harassed, or publicly humiliated like you’d talk about the weather.”

Another worker said they “endured thousands of microaggressions over time. It is death by a thousand cuts. There was a point when I wanted to kill myself.”

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If you are unsure if you’re being bullied or need someone in your corner to advocate for you call us for a free consultation.

Extreme workplace bullying was company-wide

It was not just the broadcast division that had a reputation for being toxic. Company-wide, over half (52 per cent) of Nine Entertainment employees reported experiencing or witnessing abuse of power. Meanwhile, 49 per cent reported bullying, discrimination or harassment, and 24 per cent reported sexual harassment.

The report outlined 22 recommendations to address these issues, including training programs, accountability measures and a follow-up review in three years.

Have you experienced workplace bullying?

If you have been a victim of bullying, discrimination or sexual harassment at work, you have options to hold your perpetrators accountable. We at A Whole New Approach have spent the last 30 years helping victims seek justice through the Fair Work Commission. With a free and private first consultation, we can explain what your options are and how to make the best case against your perpetrator. With our help, you can get the justice and compensation you deserve. Call us today on 1800 333 666.

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