Workplace bullying can affect not just the victims, but any colleagues who witness it, according to a New Zealand study. The study of more than 1,700 workers found a clear link between people being exposed to bullying and negative perceptions of the workplace.

"The greater exposure a person had to bullying, both directly and indirectly, the more negative their perception of the work environment was," Dr Helena Cooper-Thomas, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Auckland, told AAP. "Greater exposure to bullying was also associated with lower wellbeing and poorer work attitudes."

Nearly 10% of respondents said they had witnessed bullying at work. Cooper-Thomas said people tend to think of bullying as being just between individuals - a bully and a target.

"Our research shows that people who observe bullying are also affected, and those who both observe bullying and are targets of bullies are the worst affected and receive a double whammy effect," she said. "When you think of the ripple effect across a workforce from all those who are touched by bullying, the impact is significant."

The study found that those who experienced bullying tended to come from workplaces with less constructive leadership and a more relaxed management style. "Constructive leadership negates bullying, which indicates a greater emphasis needs to be put on leadership training to ensure leaders can promote a positive work climate and they have strong processes for the oversight of their workforce," said Cooper-Thomas.

The findings will be presented by Dr Cooper-Thomas at the ninth biennial Industrial and Organisational Psychology Conference in Brisbane this week.