When Jane* says she was written up at work for “rolling her eyes” at a manager, it was the last straw.

She’d put up with alleged bullying from that manager for months and finally broke down.

“I had a panic attack and I called my mum,” she told 9news.com.au.

“I’d never had a panic attack before and I was like, ‘I’ve just done everything for this company, I’ve dealt with this bullying … I don’t know what to do.'”

New Allianz data revealed that workplace bullying and harassment is still the leading cause of psychological distress claims in Australia.

It accounted for almost 42 per cent of all active claims in 2024, up from 39 per cent in 2023.

Almost two in three claimants in 2024 were women, the highest proportion in five years, and Aussies aged 50 to 60 had the highest proportion of claims.

Meanwhile, millennials saw the highest spike in psychological distress claims related to workplace bullying.

Allianz Australia national manager of mental health strategy and delivery Brianna Cattanach said the spike in claims is due in part to a growing awareness of what constitutes bullying and harassment and how the compensation claims process works.

“People are identifying a broader range of behaviours that cause psychological harm and distress, beyond the traditional view of overt bullying,” Cattanach told 9news.

“This includes subtle forms of harassment and microaggressions that were previously more overlooked.”

Claims often highlight issues like workplace relationship breakdowns, poorly executed performance management and feedback processes, unchecked incivility, inappropriate workplace behaviors, and a culture that undermines psychological safety.

The surge in claims may also be linked to the changing nature of workplace bullying and harassment, which is increasingly playing out online and via social media.

Jane’s alleged bully targeted her on TikTok, far from the four walls of their physical office.

They were a new manager who Jane claimed struggled with basic duties and expected her to pick up the slack.

”This manager, who was obviously getting paid way more than me, didn’t understand Google Docs,” Jane told 9news.com.au.

“But they were quite good at the talk.”

Within a few weeks of starting the job, the manager started acting ”passive aggressive” towards Jane, she claimed.

Then the TikTok videos started.

Jane’s manager was regularly posting clips talking about their workplace and allegedly made disparaging remarks about an unnamed colleague.

Context clues made it clear who the manager was talking about, calimed Jane.

“We would disagree on something silly and then I’d go home and I’d see a TikTok about why my opinion was wrong, and why nobody should do this,” Jane claimed.

But when she reported it to upper management, she says she was told nothing could be done.

Jane was allegedly told that because the manager never named her in the clips, there was no evidence of alleged bullying.

“They didn’t take it seriously,” she said.

Unwilling to quit her job in a cost of living crisis, she put up with it until the manager finally resigned.

But not before they filed a complaint about Jane “rolling her eyes” at them, which Jane denied ever happened.

She was issued a formal warning, then was diagnosed with acute stress syndrome and had to take time off.

Upon her return, she submitted a full report about the alleged bullying she’d endured.

Eventually the warning was revoked but her trust in that workplace was shattered.

Jane’s experience is not unique.

Workers who make psychological distress claims related to workplace bullying can access psychological treatment and support services to address those issues.

Interventions like mediation and facilitated discussions to rebuild workplace relationships and trust are also an option.

Jane chose not to take her claim further but encourages any Australians who feel bullied or harassed in the workplace to “document everything” and advocate for themselves.

“Read your contracts, know your complaints processes, know your warnings processes, even if you think you’ll never need them.”

Though she’s in a new role now, the alleged bullying still affects her.

”I get quite anxious and paranoid now with dealing with upper management,” she confessed.

“It damaged my trust [like] not being able to trust your co workers or management to protect you against psychological things, because it’s not as easy to prove as physical.”

*Name changed for privacy and legal reasons.