Workplace Bullying: Organizational Antecedents and HRM Prevention Program

Abstract

There is an increasing interest in the topic of workplace bullying; however, there is scarce empirical literature examining the role of human resource management (HRM) in addressing this issue in Egypt and the Arab Region. The present study aims to examine several contributing factors that predict workplace bullying, as well as HRM prevention programs that counter workplace bullying. A sample of 384 respondents was selected from insurance companies in Cairo, Egypt. Three hundred and fifty questionnaires were returned from respondents, representing a response rate of 91.15%. Several statistical analysis techniques were applied to analyze the relationship between the study variables, such as regression analysis and structural equation modeling. The main findings of this study revealed that anti-bullying training has a negative relationship with workplace bullying. Anti-bullying policy has no significant relationship with workplace bullying. Moreover, the results show the mediating impact of positive organizational culture in the relationship between destructive leadership and workplace bullying. The results imply that training is indeed influential in addressing workplace bullying. In addition, bullying policy may not be as effective in addressing workplace bullying, especially if not properly communicated to organizational members. The present findings emphasize the underlying mechanism through which destructive leadership might influence workplace bullying.