The poll of more than 1,000 employees by law firm Peninsula found that 69% reported workplace bullying in 2008 compared with 52% five years ago.

While 56% of the victims said they were bullied by a colleague, 44% claimed it was by a manager. Most of those who feel they have been bullied at work said it had a detrimental impact on their personal life.

David Price, head of employee relations at Peninsula, said: "You get situations where employees fear coming into work. It is time to expose workplace bullying for what it really is, a form of harassment and in no way should it be tolerated.

"Bullying in the workplace can take on many forms and it's not just from colleagues as it seems many workers are harassed by management. We urge employers to have a system in place where workers are encouraged to speak to someone if they feel bullied and where their complaint is taken seriously and acted upon."