Not quite overt bullying, but more than rudeness, instances of micro-bullying can easily go unnoticed in the workplace. But as they start to add up, they can quickly snowball into broader performance, culture and civility issues. 

It’s rarely a single cruel comment or dramatic confrontation that erodes workplace culture. More often, it’s the quiet, ambiguous slights – the eye roll in a meeting, the cold tone in an email, the team lunch you weren’t invited to.

These moments can seem insignificant in isolation. But over time, they can wear down a team’s psychological safety, erode trust and quietly corrode performance, says Jodie Fox, Director at Worklogic.

Micro-bullying – the accumulation of low-level incivility that sits beneath the legal threshold of bullying – still causes harm.

“Micro-bullying stems from the idea of micro-aggressions,” says Fox. “It’s behaviour that doesn’t quite meet the definition of bullying, which is repeated unreasonable behaviour that creates a risk to health and safety, but that nonetheless impacts people. It’s ambiguous, it’s hard to spot, but it still matters.”

Workplace behaviour exists on a spectrum (see infographic below) and much of the complexity for HR lies in the middle ground.

“Where behaviour falls on that spectrum depends on perception,” she says. “Something might not be unreasonable in a legal sense, but it might still be unhelpful or even harmful. 

And when minor behaviours are repeated over time – the ‘drip, drip, drip’ effect – they can accumulate into something that does reach that bullying threshold.”

Even when they don’t, she adds, they may still trigger an employer’s obligations under work health and safety laws. “Those micro-behaviours can cause psychosocial risk, and employers have a duty to prevent and mitigate that risk.”

In other words, HR can’t afford to ignore the small stuff.

Infographic: How to spot the signs of micro-bullying

Download a printable version of this resource here.

Where micro-bullying hides

Fox says micro-bullying often stems from two key areas: manager frustration and cultural misunderstanding.

In the first example, it’s often an instance of performance management becoming personal.

“Managers are absolutely entitled to set expectations and hold people accountable,” says Fox. “But when frustration seeps into tone, such as eye-rolling, condescension, excluding people from conversations, that’s when reasonable management action starts to blur into something else.”

The second category arises when teams lack a shared understanding of what civility looks like.

“In some cultures, for example, greeting everyone or celebrating birthdays is normal. In others, that’s not part of professional life,” says Fox. “So what one person perceives as friendly can be seen by another as intrusive, and what one person sees as professional can feel cold to someone else.”

External social conflicts can inflame this tension, she adds.

“We saw it during COVID with vaccination debates, and now with geopolitical issues that divide communities. Those divisions can easily spill into workplaces.”

Moving from reaction to prevention

For too long, organisations have waited for a problem to escalate before acting, such as a formal complaint, an investigation, then perhaps a dismissal. That reactive model, Fox argues, fails to address the root cause.

“The newer workplace health and safety frameworks, and the positive duty to prevent sexual harassment, encourage us to think like risk managers,” she says. “Identify where the fault lines might be – whether that’s demographic imbalance, legacy team tensions, or lack of diversity – and take proactive steps to mitigate them.”

Fox says HR practitioners should get comfortable using psychosocial risk guidelines as a practical roadmap. 

“They’re written in plain English, with examples that can be applied in any workplace. Think of them as your guardrails.”

One of the most effective prevention strategies, Fox says, is training managers and teams in how to have difficult conversations.

“The gold standard is a workplace where people can raise an issue directly. Employees should feel they can say something like: ‘That comment didn’t sit well with me’ – without it turning into a big deal,” she says. “That’s where real psychological safety lives.”

She recommends a layered communication structure that allows multiple ways for employees to be heard, such as regular team check-ins; skip-level conversations with senior leaders; and confidential or anonymous reporting channels.

But these systems only work if complaints are actually acted upon.

“I worry when organisations set up an external hotline but don’t integrate it into their internal processes,” says Fox. “Every report, no matter where it comes from, needs to flow into the same framework and be handled consistently.”

Transparency is crucial.

“Tell people exactly what happens when they raise a concern. It builds trust in the system.”

Addressing micro-bullying also means empowering witnesses to step up safely.

“Intervening is a complex process,” says Fox. “People have to notice the behaviour, assess it as unacceptable, decide whether to act, and then decide how to act. Each stage is influenced by culture and past experience.”

Many assume that speaking up means confronting the aggressor directly — a daunting prospect. But there are other options.

“Bystanders can check in with the person affected, report the issue later, or raise it with a manager. There’s no one right way, as long as you’re helping to disrupt the behaviour and support the target,” she says.

Training teams in bystander awareness helps normalise this collective accountability.

“If people know what to look for, how to decide when to act, and what their options are, you’re more likely to see intervention before things escalate.”

When the fabric starts to fray

Fox likens a healthy culture to a tightly woven fabric: one that supports people to do their best work within clear norms of respect.

“Micro-incivilities are like friction points that weaken that fabric,” she says. “Then when tension hits – a restructure, a big project, a mistake – it tears.”

The business consequences are serious: lost time, complaints, compensation claims and disengagement. But the unseen costs, Fox warns, are innovation and discretionary effort.

“When there’s tension or fear, people stop bringing their whole selves to work. You lose the creativity, the great ideas, the energy. A culture of incivility is a culture of underperformance.”

Develop the knowledge and skills to investigate and address misconduct in a trauma-informed manner with AHRI’s Trauma Informed HR short course.