The bullying of apprentices and trainees in the workplace: a review of the literature

This paper reviews the literature of the bullying and harassment of apprentices and trainees in the workplace. Apprentices and trainees may be considered vulnerable targets of bullying and harassment because of their age, inexperience and hierarchical status. Despite a plethora of media reports and anecdotal evidence of apprentices and trainees as targets of workplace bullying, very few empirical studies have been conducted on this sample of employees. In addition to reviewing the existing international literature, the authors highlight the importance of further empirical research on the bullying and harassment of apprentices and trainees.