Insights into workplace bullying: psychosocial drivers and effective interventions

Nothing personal, it's the organization! Links between organizational culture, workplace bullying, and affective commitment

Extensive attention in organizational research has been dedicated to workplace bullying, primarily focusing on its frequency and impact on both the victim and the bully, emphasizing interpersonal dynamics. This study extends current research by shifting the focus to the organizational level, examining the relationship between organizational culture and affective commitment, mediated by workplace bullying. Utilizing data from two surveys (N = 650 in 2012 and N = 553 in 2017), the study reveals that dimensions of organizational culture, such as assertiveness, performance orientation, and ingroup collectivism significantly influence work-related workplace bullying. Performance orientation and assertiveness are positively associated with increased bullying, whereas ingroup collectivism serves as a deterrent. In turn, work-related bullying negatively impacts affective commitment, while a culture characterized by high ingroup collectivism not only links negatively with bullying but also links positively with affective commitment. This work is one of the first studies to investigate the interplay among several dimensions of organizational culture, workplace bullying, and affective commitment, underscoring the importance of supportive organizational cultures in fostering healthy work environments.

Direct and indirect effects of workplace sexual harassment on the productivity of victims and witnesses: The preventive role of equitable management

This research demonstrates the impact of equitable management as a protective factor against workplace sexual harassment (WSH) and its consequences on labor productivity. It also shows that there are invisible costs for colleagues who witness WSH, through counterproductive behaviors, such as sabotage or production deviance, with an indirect decrease in labor productivity. We used a structured questionnaire that was answered by 827 women from 37 small, medium, and large private companies in the Lima Metropolitan Area, Peru. We designed a conceptual model and tested it using structural covariance equations. The results indicate that 33.5 % of women have been sexually harassed over the last 12 months, an average of 6.6 times, while 18.9 % of women have supported co-workers who were victims of WSH. Being sexually harassed at work decreases labor productivity by 43.1 % and increases the intention to desert the company by 15.2 %. Witnessing WSH increases the intention to drop out by 11.3 % and increases counterproductive behaviors by 39.6 %. We found that equitable management is a preventative factor for WSH. Equitable management not only decreases the probability of the occurrence of WSH by 2.2 times but also-if it exists-reduces its pernicious impact on productivity through various indirect effects. Equitable management can reduce the labor productivity costs caused by WSH by 4.6 times.

Insights into abusive workplace behavior

Objectives

This paper explores definitions, incidences, and outcomes of workplace abuse - a widespread, worldwide social phenomenon impinging on the well-being of workers in a developing labor market - and possible directions for delineating and standardizing classifications of the phenomenon that facilitate workers' protection. Furthermore, we employ Tepper's Abusive Supervision Survey Questionnaire [ASSQ] to identify managerial abuse in organizations regarding the type of organization (public/private), gender of the perpetrator, gender of the target, and the managerial role, of each of the abuse items. Finally, we suggest directions for further research and practical measures designed to facilitate the diminution of behavioral abuse in the workplace in the foreseeable future.

Hypotheses

No hypotheses are submitted in this exploratory paper.

Methods

Employees of two large organizations (the Katzrin Local Council and Tigbur Ltd.) and another small national organization in Israel were approached, requesting their assistance in this investigation. We introduced the questionnaire, noting its anonymity and the academic context, and that subject participation was voluntary. The questionnaire consisted of fifteen statements on a five-point response scale ranging from 1 = "I cannot remember him/her ever using this behavior with me" to 5 = "He/she uses this behavior very often with me" (alpha = 0.97, M = 1.81, SD = 1.03). One hundred five respondents comprised the final sample: men (39%) and women (61%) aged 23-66. 66.7% of the respondents were employed in a public organization, 28.5% in a private organization, and 4.8% in a national organization. Years of education: less than 12 (14.3%); 12 full years (17.1%); tertiary education (10.5%); bachelor's degree (40%); and master's degree and above (18.1%). While 28.6% held managerial positions, 71.4% did not. Job tenure ranged between 0.5 and 42 years. The participants in national and private organizations were combined to avoid the problem of unbalanced groups. Notably, the gender balance of the managers was men (50.5%) and women (49.5%). To ensure statistical validity, we conducted a factor analysis and performed Pearson correlations to examine the relationships between the general latent variable and the abuse items and their intercorrelations. Additionally, we conducted t-tests for independent samples (with Bonferroni corrections for multiple comparisons: see, for example) to compare (1) the respondent's gender; (2) manager's gender; and (3) the managerial role with each of the abuse items, and (4) the type of organization (private/public); including the general abuse variable.

Results

High, positive, and significant correlations were recorded between each questionnaire item and the total score of abusive behavior. The results ranged from r = 0.92 for the statement, "Puts me down in front of others" (r = 0.92) to r = 0.69 for the statement, "Does not allow me to interact with my co-workers" (r = 0.69). Reported abuse in the respondents' organizations was relatively low (1.81), while among women managers marginally less than their male equivalents (in absolute value, the mean difference in the mean scores fell between 0.28 and 1.25). Abusive behavior in private organizations was more prevalent than in public concerns. Not surprisingly, workers reported more incidents of abuse than managers: in absolute value, the mean difference between employees and managers fell between 0 and 0.67 in the mean scores. Women reported fewer abusive behavior incidents than men; however, the differences found were insignificant.

Conclusion

The reports of abusive behaviors were meager. Explanations include: (1) Any instance of alleged workplace abuse can be interpreted variously by different individuals, a function of subjective perceptions and interpretations of objective data informed by several internal and external factors impinging on workers' wellness at work. (2) The extant "trust gap," which is part of the pervading culture, mitigates against honest reporting of workplace abuse for fear of reprisals. (3) A single report of behavioral abuse at work may be attributable to the same perpetrator repeating the aggression several times. The lower incidence of reported abuse among female managers could be understood in line with studies that indicate that men display aggression more frequently than women playing out their expected respective stereotypical roles in society. Furthermore, following women reflect more stable personality dispositions and are less likely than men to aggress against others without provocation. In line with these observations, women's management style projects "an ethics of care," focusing on interpersonal relations and a greater tendency than male managers toward cooperation, creativity, innovation, and shared decision-making. Because the differences found in all the variables in our investigation investigated were not significant, we cannot conclude that the results indicate a trend. Finally, we assume that appropriate sanctions against perpetrators at the workplace and regulation in public organizations would reduce the incidence of workplace abuse. In a more optimistic vein, we recommend that management and HR personnel initiate positive measures to raise awareness of behavioral abuse and eliminate it from their organizations. They should initiate training workshops, events, and support groups akin to those extant in organizations focused on eliminating racial prejudice and advocating sustainability and wellness in the workplace. Ultimately, the goal is to protect workers' dignity, the integrity of the organizations, and the welfare of society.

Changing the Underlying Conditions Relevant to Workplace Bullying through Organisational Redesign

In view of the discrepancy between anti-bullying strategies used in organisations and knowledge of bullying that is grounded in the international scholarly literature, the aim of this study is to implement and evaluate an intervention program specifically targeting the root causes of workplace bullying by identifying, assessing, and changing the contexts of people management in which bullying arises. The present research describes the development, procedures, and co-design principles underpinning a primary intervention that is focused on improving organisational risk conditions linked to workplace bullying. Our study evaluates the effectiveness of this intervention using deductive and abductive approaches and multi-source data. Specifically, our quantitative analysis examines changes in job demands and resources as a central mechanism underlying how the intervention takes effect and provides support for job demands as a mediator. Our qualitative analysis expands the inquiry by identifying additional mechanisms that form the foundations of effective change and those that drive change execution. The results of the intervention study highlight the opportunity to prevent workplace bullying through organisational-level interventions and reveal success factors, underlying mechanisms, and key principles.

Workplace Bullying in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

OBJECTIVES

The specific aims of the study are to explore the prevalence of workplace bullying and to understand the impact of bullying on individual wellness in order to facilitate the development of future organizational solutions to mitigate workplace incivility.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data were collected via a web-based survey to gather exploratory demographic information and to assess the relationships between intensity of the exposure to the negative acts with laboratory productivity. Associations between laboratories offering resources to employees and their impacts on productivity and professional job fulfillment were also explored.

RESULTS

Results of the survey showed that over two-thirds of laboratorians (68.56%) were classified as victims of workplace bullying, and the perpetrator is most likely a peer of the victim (55.3%). The study revealed the intensity of workplace incivility was positively correlated with the number of sick days taken by the laboratory practitioner (F(2, 217) = 24.245, P < .001). Facilities with a supportive work environment were also associated with a reduction in the number of sick mental days taken (P < .001), a proxy for improved work and health outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study shed light on the prevalence of incivility at the workplace and offer evidence on the importance of providing a supportive work environment toward reducing workplace bullying.

The relationship between perceived health and psychosocial risk in women in the service sector (cleaning)

BACKGROUND

Cleaning is considered a female-dominant occupation. Women cleaning workers present a high risk of suffering impaired health probably as a result of performing low-skilled tasks. However, to date, no studies have been found that examine the health status of female cleaning workers in Spain.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives were to 1) determine the level of perceived health in a sample of female cleaning workers, 2) evaluate the main psychosocial risks they face, 3) explore the relationship between perceived health and psychosocial risk factors, and 4) compare the perceived health of those women who present some psychosocial risk factor and those who do not.

METHODS

This is a multi-centered cross-sectional study carried out in the service sector of a Spanish company. The final sample was composed of 455 female cleaning workers. Sociodemographic variables, perceived health status and psychosocial risk factors were assessed.

RESULTS

Women presented a high perception of health status. The main psychosocial risk was lack of acknowledgement by their superiors, which affected 25.2% (n = 111) of the sample. Moderate negative correlations (r=-.222 to -.442; p <  .01) were identified between perceived health and evident psychosocial risks. Those women who presented some psychosocial risk (n = 174; 38.3%) had a worse state of perceived health in all variables studied.

CONCLUSION

Presence of psychosocial risk had a relationship with a worse health perception. This article highlights the need to orient preventive actions in the psychosocial field. The COVID-19 pandemic represents a new situation to renew the health promotion between cleaning workers.

Assessing workplace civility: Validity and 1‐year test‐retest reliability of a Japanese version of the CREW Civility Scale

Objectives

This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the eight‐item CREW Civility Scale which measures workplace civility norms and compare the civility scores among various occupations.

Methods

A longitudinal study included all employees in a social care organization (N = 658) and a cross‐sectional study included all civil servants in one city (N = 3242) in Japan. Structural validity was tested through confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Construct validity was assessed through Pearson's correlations of civility with other variables. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha and 1‐year test‐retest reliability was assessed by the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC).

Results

The results of CFA showed an acceptable level of model fit (TLI =0.929; CFI =0.949; and SRMR =0.034). CREW Civility Scale scores were significantly positively correlated with supervisor support, co‐worker support, and work engagement, while significantly negatively correlated with incivility, workplace bullying, intention to leave, and psychological distress, which were consistent with our hypotheses. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.93 and ICC was 0.52. Younger, high‐educated, and managerial employees and, childminder/nursery staff reported higher civility. High school graduates and respondents who did not graduate from high school, part‐time employees, nurses, paramedical staff, and care workers reported lower civility.

Conclusions

The Japanese version of the CREW Civility scale is a reliable, valid measure of civility, appropriate for Japanese workplaces as well as for use in multi‐national studies alongside other existing versions of this scale in English, Portuguese and Farsi.

A Systematic Review of Negative Work Behavior: Toward an Integrated Definition

The objective of this systematic review was to identify the overlapping and unique aspects of the operationalizations of negative work behaviors (NWBs) to specify a new integrative definition of NWB. More specifically, we examined (1) how many operationalizations and conceptualizations of NWB can be identified, (2) whether these operationalizations can be categorized into facets, i. e., the nature of NWB, harm, actor types, and roles, with subcategories, (3) what the meaningful overlap in these operationalizations was, (4) whether the operationalizations tapped unique and meaningful elements, i.e., positive labels and dynamic processes, and (5) how the overlapping and unique elements of the operationalizations could be integrated into a new theory-based research model for NWB for future research. In the literature search based on the Prisma framework, Pubmed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar, we identified k = 489 studies that met the inclusion criteria of our review. The results of these studies revealed 16 frequently studied NWB labels, e.g., bullying and aggression. Many of these could be categorized in the same way, namely, in terms of the type of behavior, type of harm, and type of actor involved in the NWB. In our new definition of NWB, we integrated the content of the overlapping and meaningful unique elements of the 16 labels.

Outcomes of a Proximal Workplace Intervention Against Workplace Bullying and Harassment: A Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Among Norwegian Industrial Workers

Background: Workplace bullying is an important and prevalent risk factors for health impairment, reduced workability and lowered efficiency among both targets and observers. Development and tests of effective organizational intervention strategies are therefore highly important. The present study describes the background, design, and protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of an organization-wide intervention on preventing workplace bullying with a focus on promoting active and constructive bystander behavior. The main overarching goal is to develop an easy to use and standardized organizational intervention based on theory and research in the role of bystanders in bullying situations with the potential of reducing the prevalence of workplace bullying. The theoretical framework of the study is theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991). Methods/Design: Using a full randomized control trial (RCT) design, this project will empirically test the outcomes of an intervention program targeting bullying and harassment as the main distal outcomes and perceived behavioral control and helping behavior among bystanders as the main proximal outcome. A 1-year cluster randomized controlled design will be utilized, in which controls will also receive the intervention. About 1,500 workers from two different locations of a Norwegian industrial company will be randomized into one intervention group and two control groups with at least 400 workers in each group. A survey will be conducted electronically. With a total of three assessments over 10-12 months, the time interval between the measurement times will be 4 months. Thus, the data collection will take place at baseline, completion of the intervention and at 4 months follow-up. Discussion: This study primarily aims to develop, implement, and evaluate an intervention based on the abovementioned features with the ultimate aim of reducing the prevalence of workplace bullying, by awareness raising and training of bystanders. Manager involvement and involvement of the union representative and the elected health and safety representatives is an important feature of the program. Results of the intervention study will provide important information regarding the effectiveness of preventive interventions against workplace bullying when focusing on bystanders, particularly so regarding the role of bystander awareness, bystander self-efficacy, and bystander behavioral control on the one hand and the prevalence of bullying and harassment on the other.

Known and Unknown Aspects of Workplace Bullying: A Systematic Review of Recent Literature and Future Research Agenda

Last decades showed a high interest in studying the workplace bullying (WB) phenomenon in a variety of disciplines and in a number of WB areas such as concepts and forms of WB, antecedents and consequences of WB, WB interventions, etc. This study offers classification and description of current WB literature, and identifies research gaps to be bridged by further empirical research. In the first part, authors systematically review 167 refereed journal articles, classify the WB research into five main research themes and summarize their findings. In the second part, the article uncovers various unknown aspects of WB and provides concrete directions for future empirical research. Thrust areas of attention are highlighted for industry and policy makers.

Bullying in Fly-In-Fly-Out employees in the Australian resources sector: A cross-sectional study

Background

Workplace bullying has diverse consequences at both the organisational and individual level. Anecdotal reports indicate that workplace bullying is an issue of particular concern for Australian FIFO workers, which may impact on psychosocial distress. However, no prior studies have examined this issue empirically in a FIFO worker cohort.

Methods and materials

A cross-sectional survey study design was used to establish the prevalence of bullying in Australian FIFO, antecedents of bullying, and its association with psychosocial distress. Responses were received from 580 FIFO workers in the Australian resources sector. Primary outcome measures were Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised, Beck Depression Inventory II, and Beck Hopelessness Scale. Logistic regression models were constructed to examine the association between bullying, suicide risk, and clinical depression.

Results

Over half of the respondents experienced workplace bullying (55.7%), and about one-third reported moderate or more severe depression (32.3%). Being above the median age (OR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.31–0.83) and having a supervisor who failed to promote collaboration (OR = 3.04; 95% CI = 1.84–5.04) were both significantly associated with experiencing bullying. Bullying was associated with an almost threefold increase in the likelihood of participants reporting increased suicide risk (OR = 2.70; 95% CI = 1.53–4.76). Bullying was also associated with participants being almost two and a half times more likely to report clinical depression (OR = 2.38; 95% CI = 1.40–4.05).

Conclusion

The incidence of bullying in Australian FIFO workers has reached alarming proportions. Bullying was significantly associated with higher levels of clinical depression and suicide risk. The results highlight the need to implement in the Australian resource sector interventions that reduce workplace bullying.

Workplace Bullying and Medically Certified Sickness Absence: Direction of Associations and the Moderating Role of Leader Behavior

The aim of this study was to determine (1) associations between workplace bullying and subsequent risk and duration of medically certified sickness absence, (2) whether employees’ perceptions of supportive, fair, and empowering leader behavior moderate the association between bullying and absence, and (3) whether prior sickness absence increases the risk of being a new victim of bullying. Altogether, 10,691 employees were recruited from 96 Norwegian organizations in the period 2004–2014. The study design was prospective with workplace bullying and leader behavior measured at baseline and then linked to official registry data on medically certified sickness absence for the year following the survey assessment. For analyses of reverse associations, exposure to bullying was reassessed in a follow-up survey after 24 months. The findings showed that workplace bullying was significantly associated with risk (risk ratio = 1.23; 95% CI = 1.13–1.34), but not duration (incidence rate ratio = 1.05; 95% CI = 0.89–1.25) of medically certified sickness absence after adjusting for age, gender, and supportive, fair, and empowering leader behavior. None of the indicators of leader behavior moderated the association between bullying and sickness absence (both risk and duration). Adjusting for baseline bullying, age, and gender, prior long-term sickness absence (>21 days) was associated with increased risk of being a new victim of bullying at follow-up (odds ratio = 1.86; 95% CI = 1.28–2.72). Effective interventions toward workplace bullying may be beneficial with regard to reducing sickness absence rates. Organizations should be aware that long-term sickness absence might be a social stigma as sick-listed employees have an increased risk of being bullied when they return to work.

Bullying and Work-Related Stress in the Irish Workplace

Work-related stress is increasing in prevalence, with important consequences for employees, employers, the economy, and wider society. While previous research has identified a link between work-related stress and bullying, gaps remain in our understanding of the nature of the relationship. This article uses ordered logistic regression and nationally representative data on 5110 employees from Ireland to empirically analyse the distribution of subjective work-related stress and its relationship with bullying (self-reported). We also consider the role and importance of gender and the presence of a formal policy on respect and dignity at work, as well as the degree to which relationships between management and staff and between staff themselves are related to work-related stress. Amongst the main findings are that employees who reported that they were bullied were considerably more likely to report that they were often or always stressed, while bad and very bad relationships between management and staff were also significantly associated with greater stress, particularly for female employees. Overall, our findings have a range of implications for employees, employers, and policymakers.

Development of a Taxonomy of Workplace Bullying Intervention Types: Informing Research Directions and Supporting Organizational Decision Making

Recently much has been done to increase our understanding of workplace bullying including its causes, consequences, and prevalence. Although identification of possible interventions has advanced the field, systematic evidence on the efficacy and effectiveness of specific interventions is lacking. At the same time, organizations are under increasing pressure to prevent and manage workplace bullying more effectively. The aim of this study is to develop and refine a taxonomy of workplace bullying intervention types. Although it does not assess the evidence base of interventions per se, the taxonomy is designed to support the development of research into the future and guide organizations in their decision making when implementing interventions. Using a two-round Delphi process, the expertise of international academics and practitioners ( n = 51 and n = 39) was sought to refine the taxonomy, which classified interventions in terms of mode, focus, agent, specificity, and timecourse. Eleven core intervention types were endorsed as appropriate inclusions in the taxonomy of workplace bullying intervention types. A further six, including mediation, failed to reach consensus among the expert panel. The resulting taxonomy forms a framework to guide workplace bullying intervention efficacy and effectiveness research from a common understanding of the definition, scope, and properties of interventions. Once this occurs, the taxonomy can be used by organizations to audit their existing programs, prioritize new interventions, and consider alternate options. Intervention types that did not reach consensus highlight areas of particular research need, which, when undertaken will add to an evidence base and will be included in future versions of the taxonomy.