Nearly every Korean office worker has experienced feeling betrayed by a co-worker, a survey found. Common forms included rumor mongering and being made to feel isolated.
The survey conducted by employment publication Flea Market asked 474 people the question, “Have you ever been betrayed by your coworkers?” A whopping 99.4 percent said replied that they had.
So who were perpetrators of these betrayals?
Fifty-two percent said the backstabbers were coworkers from same department. Superiors from the same department followed at 38 percent. Subordinates from same department came in at four percent, as did and coworkers from different departments.
Fifty-two percent of respondents said they had experienced emotional offenses such as talking behind one’s back, rumor mongering and being made to feel isolated.
Another 39 percent said the offenses damaged their reputation, including being set up, wrongly blamed or taking credit for work. Nine percent said the damage was related to money.
Regarding their reaction, 58 percent said they cut off the friendship with the perpetrator, while 17 percent said they quit the job. Six percent said they inflicted equal damage on their betrayer; while two percent said they inflicted worse damage.
Sixty-six percent of respondents were women and 34 percent men.