The Reality of Upward Bullying: A Hidden Workplace Dynamic

When we hear the word “bullying” in a workplace context, most of us instinctively imagine it flowing one way: from the top down. Leaders hold authority; employees follow. It’s a dynamic so deeply ingrained in our understanding of organisational life that the idea of a leader being bullied by their own team often sounds implausible. How can someone with positional power be a victim of bullying? Isn’t this just a case of tough feedback or necessary pushback against bad leadership?

This tension sits at the heart of a growing, yet often dismissed phenomenon: upward bullying.

 Power Doesn’t Only Flow Downward

Let’s be clear.  Scepticism is healthy. History is littered with examples of powerful people framing themselves as victims to avoid scrutiny. Globally, we see leaders who weaponise claims of unfair treatment while dismantling systems meant to hold them accountable. It’s a pattern that makes many understandably cautious when leaders complain about being “bullied” by their teams.

So how do we separate genuine cases of upward bullying from valid employee resistance or whistleblowing?

The answer lies in careful, unbiased investigation. Like all workplace bullying, upward bullying is rarely a straightforward, one-on-one conflict. It tends to thrive in environments where enabling behaviours, passive bystanders, and organisational blind spots allow toxic dynamics to escalate.

And while it may not fit traditional bullying narratives, it’s very real, and highly destabilising.

 What Does Upward Bullying Look Like?

Upward Bullying occurs when employees or groups of employees deliberately work to undermine, isolate, or discredit a leader. It’s not casual disagreement or healthy debate.  It’s a pattern of behaviours intended to destabilise authority and force a leader out.

These behaviours can include:

• Deliberate non-cooperation or withholding of information
• Organised resistance to reasonable instructions or changes
• Public or private exclusion of the leader from team dynamics
• Spreading misinformation or rumours to damage credibility
• Undermining decisions through backchannels and alliances

It can happen to any leader, but certain groups are more vulnerable, particularly women, racially diverse leaders, and those without strong institutional support. Bias plays an undeniable role in who is seen as a “legitimate” leader and who becomes a target when team dynamics turn toxic. 

Bullying or Accountability?

It’s important to acknowledge that not every complaint against a leader is an act of bullying. Employees have the right and the responsibility to hold poor leaders to account. Calling out incompetence, unethical behaviour, or abuse of power is not bullying. In fact, organisations function best when employees feel safe enough to challenge leadership when necessary.

The issue arises when this principle is manipulated. Just as some managers misuse their authority, some employees understand exactly how to exploit policies, culture, or group dynamics to destabilise a leader they simply don’t like, or whose leadership threatens long-standing informal power structures.

In these cases, what’s presented as “feedback”, or “legitimate resistance” can be a cover for collective bullying tactics; a phenomenon some researchers and practitioners label as mobbing. Regardless of terminology, the outcome is the same: a destabilised leader, a fractured team, and a toxic workplace culture. 

Who Is Most at Risk?

While any leader can face upward bullying, certain groups are disproportionately targeted.

• Women in leadership roles often navigate a narrow behavioural tightrope. Be too accommodating, and they’re seen as weak. Be assertive, and they’re labelled “difficult” or “intimidating.” This double bind creates a fertile ground for upward bullying.
• Racially diverse leaders, particularly Black women, face both conscious and unconscious bias that questions their authority in ways white counterparts rarely experience. When teams resist these leaders, it’s often not just about leadership style; it’s about deeply ingrained systemic biases playing out under the guise of “disagreement” or “concern.”
• New leaders driving cultural or operational change frequently encounter resistance from teams loyal to the old way of doing things. When those teams band together to push back, the line between legitimate discomfort with change and upward bullying can blur dangerously.
• Leaders without strong institutional backing are especially vulnerable. If HR, senior executives, or key stakeholders fail to provide visible, consistent support, it sends a message to employees that it’s open season to challenge, resist, or sabotage that leader’s efforts.

Why It Matters

Upward bullying isn’t just a leadership issue.  It’s a diversity, equity, and inclusion issue.  When organisations fail to recognise and address this behaviour, they reinforce the very biases and exclusionary practices they claim to oppose.

It also impacts organisational stability and performance. A leader under siege can’t focus on strategic priorities. Teams divided by covert campaigns against leadership become dysfunctional. Toxicity spreads, and good people leave, both those being targeted and those exhausted by the drama.

Ignoring upward bullying allows dysfunction to take root at the heart of the organisation.

 What Should Organisations Do?

Raising awareness is the first step. Leaders, HR professionals, and employees alike need to understand that power doesn’t always correlate with hierarchy. Influence exists in numbers, in informal alliances, and in organisational culture.

To address upward bullying effectively:

• Investigate all claims of bullying fairly and thoroughly, regardless of who makes them.
• Distinguish between legitimate accountability and targeted undermining behaviours.
• Provide targeted support and coaching for leaders navigating resistance and change.
• Strengthen institutional backing for leaders driving necessary, though sometimes unpopular, changes.
• Ensure anti-bullying policies explicitly recognise upward bullying as a form of workplace harassment.

Final thoughts

So, does Upward Bullying exist? Yes.

Does it deserve the same scrutiny and intervention as any other form of workplace bullying? Absolutely.

The challenge lies in our ability to hold space for both truths: that bad leadership must be held accountable, and that leaders, particularly those from marginalised groups or those driving disruptive change, can themselves become targets of bullying.

Failing to acknowledge and address this complexity allows workplace dysfunction to fester, no matter which way the power flows.

Have you witnessed upward bullying or been on the receiving end of it? What helped — or what made it worse? I’d love to hear your experiences and reflections.