Last August, the Minister for Labour Affairs, Tony Killeen TD, published the report of an expert advisory group on workplace bullying.

According to the report, the number of complaints of bullying has been increasing.

However, the report also said it was unclear whether this increase was due to an increase in the incidence of bullying or an increasing awareness of the unacceptability of such behaviour.

Examples of bullying include: purposefully undermining someone; manipulating an individual's reputation; intimidation; physical abuse or threats of abuse;

aggressive or obscene language; and making offensive jokes.

"There is a school of thought that says bullying is about abuse in a relationship.

People may be misinterpreting relationships and calling it bullying or else they are simply being bullied, " says Patricia Murray, organisational psychologist with the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and a member of the expert advisory group.

For some, bullying at work is a daily occurrence and the daily trek to the workplace can be filled with dread and fear. Victims should not suffer in silence, says Niall Crowley, CEO of the Equality Authority.

"Talking to somebody about it is the first thing you should do. Don't suffer it on your own, because very often it can be trivialised. Talking to somebody is quite important. The key thing is to find out what the procedures are in your workplace, " he says.

Last year, 370 cases were filed under the Employment Equality Act and of those, 22 related to harassment and 15 to sexual harassment.

"If there are policies and procedures in place, the victim can have them put into operation and get information from the Equality Authority. In some cases he or she can apply for legal advice and representation, " adds Crowley.

Both Crowley and Murray agree there has been a culture in Ireland where bullying has not been taken seriously and very often the person reporting the bullying can be seen as a troublemaker.

"It can be very difficult for people to report it, in that people can be trivialised and those who bring it forward can be seen as having the problem. It does take some courage to bring it forward and to challenge it, " says Crowley.

There are a few routes open to victims and plan A is to confront the bully in a businesslike manner, says Murray. "Be rational to the person. Say: 'I have noted things down and I want this to stop'. Alternatively, sit down with a friend, put it in writing and leave it on the person's desk."

However, Murray agrees that very often this may not work. "Then go to plan B.

Introduce somebody from human resources (HR). He or she has to step up to protect the employee and try to sort out the problem."

If bringing the case to the attention of the HR department doesn't work, the next step or plan C is a formal investigation within the workplace. "It's quasi-legal.

However, it's often in the best interest of the employer not to find bullying. If it does, it has to do something about it. The employer has a responsibility to make sure that all employees are safe from bullying."

While there is no legislation banning bullying, there is legislation banning harassment and cases can be brought through the Equality Authority. In addition, the HSA will ensure that the company conducts an investigation and that the investigation is adequate.