Over half of British workers have been mistreated during the last two years while as many as 1m have experienced workplace violence, a recent study has revealed.

Researchers found that 27% of workers said they felt ignored in the workplace, 22.3% felt they had been treated in a disrespectful way and 4.9% admitted to being a victim of violence.

The research, by Cardiff University, was based on the British Workplace Behaviour Survey of 3,979 people conducted in 2008.

People who work in the public sector are more at risk of rudeness, disrespect and violence, with 72% of acts of violence coming from members of the public, customers and clients. Workers in health, social work and education were also at high risk of being assaulted during working hours.

In contrast, those who work in the private sector are more likely to face violence from fellow employees.

The study also concluded that around 7,000,000 to 8,000,000 British worked suffer from "impossible workloads" and feel they are "not being listened to" by managers and supervisors.

"Standard employment policies, like workplace behaviour statements and 'one size fits all' dispute procedures, are plainly failing," says Professor Ralph Fevre from the study.

"Many managers saw staff welfare as low on their list of priorities, while some even felt ill-treatment of staff was expected of them."

The results, compiled for the Economic and Social Research Council, will soon be presented at a London conference as part of the Festival of Social Science.