When most people think of bullying, childhood comes to mind: schoolyard taunts, playground intimidation, or locker-room harassment. But as veteran television executive Andy Regal knows all too well, bullying doesn’t always end when we grow up. For millions of adults, it follows them into the workplace, often quietly, invisibly, and with lasting consequences.
According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, an estimated 50 million adult Americans experienced bullying in the last 12 months alone. Regal, who spent more than 30 years in television and media leadership, encountered or witnessed bullying in 27 of those years—even at the executive level. His forthcoming book, Surviving Bully Culture: A Career Spent Navigating Workplace Bullying and a Guide for Healing, details how pervasive and insidious the problem has become.
“Where you find people at work, you’ll find bullies at work,” Regal says. His experiences reveal why many adults suffer in silence, often feeling shame or even suicidal despair, unsure how to name the abuse or where to turn for help. He warns that workplace bullying is not just a personal problem—it’s a structural one, allowed under current legal frameworks and reinforced by cultural blind spots.
Regal emphasizes that adult bullying is often subtle but identifiable. Repeated, targeted behavior that serves no legitimate business purpose is not just a personality conflict or “tough management”; it’s bullying. Employees stay silent because their livelihoods are at stake, making acquiescence a survival strategy, not consent. Meanwhile, HR departments are frequently powerless or conflicted, highlighting the need for companies to grant autonomy and protection for those investigating abuse.
Healing from workplace bullying, Regal notes, begins not with toughness but with awareness, dialogue, and understanding. Naming the behavior is the first step toward personal recovery and meaningful cultural change within organizations. For businesses, addressing bullying isn’t just ethical—it’s practical. Toxic workplaces harm employees, erode trust, and ultimately damage the bottom line.