Experienced Workplace Bullying Research Articles

The Relationship Organizations Climate and Workplace Bullying Among Nurses

Bullying in the workplace is one of the psychological problems often experienced by nurses in the workplace that hurts individuals and organizations. Incidents of workplace bullying are common in highly stressful jobs. This study aims to find out the relationship between organizational climate and workplace bullying among nurses. This study used a cross-sectional, descriptive study design. There were 235 nurses involved as participants taken with a proportional random sampling technique. To assess bullying among nurses in Bengkulu by using a Negative Action Questionaire-Revised (NAQR) instrument. The results showed that of 235 nurses, there were (37.4%) of nurses who experienced workplace bullying. Three bullying actions most frequently reported were experienced by nurses, is getting excessive workload, given work tasks that are not following their competence, and given the job by the target deadline is not possible. A total of (44.3%) of nurses said working in an environment with a less good organizational climate. There is a relationship between the organizational climate of bullying to nurses in the workplace with a value of p = 0.000. An excellent organizational climate accompanied by a clear division of tasks can avoid conflicts and can prevent bullying in the workplace.

The hammer and the scalpel: A teacher’s experience of workplace bullying

Through autoethnography, I explore and reflect on my past experiences as a target of workplace bullying in two institutions, a university and language school aimed at adult education. By doing so, this autoethnography’s purpose is to allow me to gain a deeper understanding why bullying takes place. I explore my own personal experiences of being bullied, how I responded to being bullied each time, and how being bullied changed me as a person. Through research and reflection, I found that these negative experiences fostered a spirit of resilience and growth. An outcome of bully marginally explored in the related literature.Keywords: education; workplace; management; bullying; mobbing; resiliencePart of the special issue Autoethnography in online doctoral education <https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.9415e58d>

High Performance Work Systems, Justice, and Engagement: Does Bullying Throw a Spanner in the Works?

High performance work systems (HPWS) have typically been shown to positively influence employee attitudes and well-being. Research in the realm of HPWS has, in this respect, established a clear connection between these systems and employee engagement through organizational justice. In this study, we analyzed if being bullied affects this relationship. Using reasoning from Affective Events Theory (AET), we expected that the positive association between HPWS and engagement through perceptions of organizational justice is impaired by experiences of workplace bullying. Moreover, we expected a remaining direct effect between HPWS and engagement, also attenuated by bullying. Our results in a sample of service workers in Finland (n = 434) could not support the moderating role of bullying in the indirect effect. Workplace bullying did, however, impair the remaining direct relationship indicating it disrupts the positive effect of HPWS on engagement. In all, whereas HPWS were found to be beneficial for not bullied respondents, it was associated with decreased engagement for the bullied. Our findings further underscore the importance of preventing bullying in our workplaces, as it may significantly alter the outcomes of positively intended HR practices into an undesired result.

사무직 초년생의 직장내 괴롭힘 경험이 사회적 상호작용 불안에 미치는 영향

This study aimed to examine workplace bullying among beginner office workers aged 20~35, and to test the effect of workplace bullying on social interaction anxiety and the moderating effects of self-compassion and social support. The data were collected from 348 men and women who worked in Seoul and the metropolitan area for less than 3 years. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, t-test or one-way ANOVA, and hierarchical multiple regressions were performed using SPSS 21.0. The results showed that 76.2% of the participants reported experiencing workplace bullying more than once a month, and the level of workplace bullying was higher among women, and for those with younger age or lower education. Workplace bullying experience had a significant positive effect on social interaction anxiety, and self-compassion and social support had significant negative effects on social interaction anxiety. The moderation effect of self-compassion in the relationship between workplace bullying and social interaction anxiety was significant, while the moderation effect of social support was not. This study has importance in providing data on the workplace bullying experienced by office beginners which has recently emerged as a serious social problem. This study also has clinical implications in proposing the usefulness of self-compassion intervention dealing with workplace bullying and the consequent social interaction anxiety.

How to protect your money in the face of rising inflation

How to protect your money in the face of rising inflation

Exploring the Workplace Bullying of Indonesian Caregivers and Its Influencing Factors in Taiwan.

Background: Bullying can pose a risk to the health and safety of humans, including the risk of damage to the emotional, psychosocial, mental, or physical health of employees in the workplace. In this study, we aimed to understand the personal characteristics, mental health, sleep quality, and workplace bullying status of Indonesian caregivers and explore the influencing factors of workplace bullying among them. Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on a structured questionnaire in Indonesian, which was designed to collect the data of essential personal characteristics, workplace bullying, sleep quality, and mental health using the Indonesian versions of the Negative Acts Questionnaire–Revised (NAQ-R), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Brief Symptoms Rating Scale (BSRS-5). Results: A total of 60.9% of Indonesian caregivers never experienced workplace bullying in Taiwan. A multiple regression analysis revealed that being a household caregiver (β = 0.14, p = 0.021), sleep quality (β = 0.18, p = 0.031), and mental health (β = 0.44, p < 0.001) were significantly correlated with the overall workplace bullying scores of the respondents and revealed that these three variables explained 45% of the variance. Conclusions: Taiwan Indonesian caregivers have a similar workplace bullying rate to Indonesian employees in the workplace. This study indicated the relationships among the workplace bullying of foreign caregivers and demonstrated that being a household caregiver, sleep quality, and mental health were closely related.

Experiences of Workplace Bullying in Church Workplaces: The case of South-Eastern Nigeria

Workplace bullying as a growing social phenomenon has been intensively studied from various perspectives in the past two decades. What is known about bullying is that it is a complex phenomenon constantly encountered wherever there are social inequities, oppressive policies and power imbalances (Johnson, 2009). While much of what we know in literature on workplace bullying comes from the experiences of workers in non-religious organizations, little is known about the practice, nature, prevalence, and impact of bullying in Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs). The focus on Southeastern Nigeria (SEN) and church FBOs is predicated on the fact that Nigerian culture is steeped in religion and tradition. More importantly, SEN is chosen because Christianity is the dominant religion there. Through the establishment of schools and hospitals with employment opportunities, Churches have demonstrated the capacity to integrate social and economic values. Therefore, investigating cases of bullying in such a setting is aimed at expanding the frontiers of knowledge on what constitutes bullying, and what its impact is, in the experiences of church workers from Igbo population. This research will create awareness and develop a policy framework on workplace bullying for a safe work environment. This study is a qualitative design with semi-structured interviews and a purposive sample of 30 participants recruited from 11 FBOs. The first research question focused on church workers’ lived experiences and understanding of workplace bullying. Relying on a hermeneutic phenomenological approach as the philosophical underpinning of this study, and using thematic analysis, three significant findings emerged from the first research question. Workplace bullying is associated with labour exploitations through poor remuneration, work overload, and miscarriage of justice, which are symbols of slavery within Igbo culture. In this presentation, I will discuss poor remuneration from the perspective of Ubuntu which considers workplace bullying as a moral infraction.

Workplace Bullying and Its Implications for Gender Transformation in the South African Higher Education Sector

While transformation in the higher education sector in South Africa has been the subject of intensive research since 1994, few studies have explored the link between workplace bullying and transformation. Whereas workplace bullying has drawn researchers’ attention for decades, it is only recently that scholars have started to interrogate the phenomenon through the intersectional lens. This paper employs intersectionality to explore women academics’ experiences of workplace bullying and to suggest links between workplace bullying and gender transformation in the higher education sector in South Africa. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a cross-section of 25 women academics who had experienced workplace bullying. As part of data triangulation, four union representatives and three human resources practitioners were also interviewed. The study’s main findings indicate that gender, race and class mediate women academics’ experiences of workplace bullying. In historically White universities, African, Coloured and Indian women academics, particularly those from working-class backgrounds, are more likely to be bullied, by seniors, peers, administrators and students. For White women academics, race ameliorates their workplace bullying experiences. The simultaneous effects of race, gender and class derail transformation as members of previously disadvantaged groups either remain stuck in junior academic positions, or exit the sector.

Exclusionary Tactics: A multiple regression analysis of women’s workplace bullying experiences at HBCUs. Conference Paper AERA 2022

Exclusionary Tactics: A multiple regression analysis of women’s workplace bullying experiences at HBCUs. Conference Paper AERA 2022

Bullied, bystanders, and perpetrators in the workplace: The role of empathy in teachers and school leaders' experiences

AbstractThis study investigated the experiences of workplace bullying among primary and postprimary school staff in Ireland. A sample of 630 teachers and members of the Senior Management Team (SMT) completed an online survey inquiring about their own experiences of bullying in the workplace, as targets, bystanders, and perpetrators. Information about respondents' perspective taking, empathic concern, personal distress, and demographic background was also collected. Results of the ordinal regression analysis showed a negative association of perspective taking with victimisation and bystander behaviour. In addition, respondents belonging to an SMT reported experiencing victimisation more frequently than teachers, while victimisation experiences and witnessing bullying were more common in postprimary than primary schools. Findings are discussed in terms of the importance of providing awareness and training programmes to school staff.

Workplace bullying and mobbing: autoethnography and meaning-making in the face of adversity in academia

Autoethnography has been used to examine employees’ physical and emotional experiences of workplace bullying and mobbing. In this approach of inquiry, data were extracted through; personal narratives, lived experiences, and opinions through meaning-making. Power structures in academia were found to play a significant role in academic bullying because authorities may perceive their power base to be under threat hence the desperate need to eliminate the perceived threat. Findings also suggest power structures in academia and “reluctant complicit mobbing” may be inclined to support bullies thereby impacting employee performance, production, health, and wellbeing. The African culture that subordinates and younger members of society should revere their bosses and elders was also found to influence bullying and mobbing. The authors hope to persuade academic authorities to formulate reporting systems and viable policies that protect employees. Values in individuals could be developed and reinforced, further strengthening individual’s abilities and resilience to face and deal with adverse events.

Sex-Specific Mediation Effects of Workplace Bullying on Associations between Employees’ Weight Status and Psychological Health Impairments

Background: Individuals with obesity face weight-related discrimination in many life domains, including workplace bullying, especially in female employees with obesity. However, associations between experiences of workplace bullying and psychological health impairments considering weight status and sex remain unclear. Methods: Within a representative population-based sample of N = 1290 employees, self-reported experiences of workplace bullying were examined for variations by weight status and sex. Using path analyses, sex-specific mediation effects of workplace bullying on associations between weight status and work-related psychological health impairments (burnout symptoms, quality of life) were tested. Results: Employees with obesity experienced more workplace bullying than those with normal weight. Workplace bullying was positively associated with psychological health impairments and partially mediated the associations between higher weight status and elevated burnout symptoms and lower quality of life in women, but not in men. Conclusions: The result that more experiences of workplace bullying were, compared with weight status, more strongly associated with work-related psychological health impairments in women, but not in men, uniquely extends evidence on sex-specific effects within weight-related discrimination. Continued efforts by researchers, employers, and policy makers are needed to reduce weight-related discrimination in work settings, eventually increasing employees’ health and job productivity.

Workplace bullying among Nigerian artisans in building and construction industry.

Bullying is a growing problem in the workplace. This study investigated the bullying experience of building and construction industry artisans.We employed a cross-sectional analytic design to study 240 artisans in respect of workplace bullying (WPB) experience using a self-report questionnaire. Percentage, mean and standard deviation were used for data analysis and interpretation.According to the study, a significant percentage (96.1%) of the artisans perceived themselves as victims of WPB within the past 6 months and these experiences also occurred once or more times weekly.WPB is a considerable problem among building and construction industry artisans in Nigeria. Further studies that can influence the construction industry to create valuable programs to minimize bullying among artisans are required.

The Influence of Job Demands on Workplace Bullying Experience among Healthcare Employees

Healthcare employees are the backbone in helping a country in maintaining the best health performance of all citizens. They have been given the mandate to care and treat patients with professional ethics, however, health employees are not excluded from facing high work pressure from the various demands at work especially in the current times where the nation is struggling with the Covid -19 pandemic. This study sought to examine the prevalence of workplace bullying as well as the level of job demands faced by healthcare employees and its influence on workplace bullying experienced by the employees through a cross-sectional study involving 100 respondents. The Work Stress subscale from Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ 3) and Negative Act Questionnaire (Einarsen et al. 2009) were used to measure workplace bullying experience and job demands. The data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. The results of the study found that workplace bullying was prevalent among the respondents especially in regards to work-related bullying (55 %). Meanwhile quantitative demands, cognitive demands and emotional demands significantly predicted workplace bullying. Work Pace however, did not significantly influence workplace bullying. Further discussions on the findings are reported in the article.

Workplace bullying, burnout and resilience amongst perioperative nurses in Australia: A descriptive correlational study.

This study aimed to investigate workplace bullying and explore correlations between bullying, burnout and resilience amongst perioperative nurses in Australia. Workplace bullying in perioperative nursing involves verbal, physical and psychological violence. However, no prior studies have measured Australian perioperative nurses' experiences of workplace bullying nor sought to understand if there is a relationship with burnout and resilience. A descriptive correlational study was conducted utilizing an online survey incorporating four validated instruments. Descriptive statistics and regression models analysed workplace bullying, burnout and resilience. Over half of perioperative nurses (n = 158/257, 61%) were exposed to workplace bullying. Consequences included fatigue and exhaustion (n = 129/192, 67%), anxiety (n = 123/192, 64%) and sleeplessness (n = 121/192, 63%). Organisational processes (r = .458, p < .001), bullying acts (r = .289, p < .001) and avoidance and withdrawal at work (r = .440, p = .001) increased burnout. Psychosocial distress (r = -.216, p < .001) was associated with decreased resilience. Workplace bullying is a persistent issue with negative impacts upon burnout, resilience and well-being. The psychological well-being of employees can be prioritized by establishing and maintaining an organisational climate of psychosocial safety, thereby inhibiting the potential of bullying to manifest and positively influencing employee well-being to help promote workplace engagement, productivity and reduced burnout.

The role of workplace bullying in the relationship between occupational burnout and turnover intentions of clinical nurses

AimTo identify the effect of workplace bullying on the relationship between occupational burnout and turnover intentions among clinical nurses. BackgroundRecent evidence showed that a sense of burnout may cause workplace bullying; nevertheless; few studies have explored the effects of occupational burnout on workplace bullying. Furthermore, whether the experience of workplace bullying can aggregate the effect of occupational burnout on turnover intentions remains unclear. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted to recruit nursing staff from two general hospitals in Taiwan. Data measurements comprised demographic characteristics, workplace bullying (Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised), occupational burnout (occupational burnout inventory), and turnover intentions (employee turnover intentions and job destination choice). A hierarchical linear regression model and indirect effect test were conducted to examine the effect of workplace bullying on the relationship between occupational burnout and turnover intentions. ResultsAn indirect effect test confirmed that workplace bullying can exacerbate the effect of occupational burnout on turnover intentions. Nearly one in ten nurses with occupational burnout may have experienced bullying at work, which increased their turnover intentions. ConclusionsReducing workplace bullying should be considered an important strategy for lowering turnover rates in nursing environments. Nursing mangers should develop appropriate strategies and establish mandatory regulations to create a respectful work environment. Moreover, continuous education and training to empower nursing staff to confront and eliminate workplace bullying are required in healthcare institutions.

Nature and Incidence of Bullying among Nurses in Mississippi

This study sought to shed light on the issue of workplace bullying in the health care sector by investigating the experience and knowledge of workplace bullying among nurses in Mississippi, where health outcomes remain among the lowest in the country. Based on a sample of 897 nurses in the state, we examined nurses’ familiarity with workplace bullying, the forms of bullying, and the perpetrators of bullying. Through descriptive statistical methods and logistic regression, we found that that the incidence of workplace bullying was higher in Mississippi compared to other states; females are disproportionately bullied; perpetrators of bullying were fellow nurses; nurses familiar with workplace bullying were more likely to spot and report it. Specifically, 98.7% of respondents were at least somewhat familiar with workplace bullying. Of the 61% of respondents who were either targets or witnessed bullying, “verbal abuse” (more than 70% mentions) was the most common form of bullying, while physical abuse was the least popular form of bullying (only 2% of mentions). For over 60% of targets, at least six months of bullying duration was common. From the multivariate logistic regression, the odds of being bullied were between 1.56 and 3.84 times higher for women than they were for men depending on the model specification. From these findings, it is clear that any anti-bullying measures should target all nurses and the organizational culture since the perpetrator is usually a fellow nurse. Keywords: bullying, logistic regression, nurses, Mississippi DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/91-10 Publication date: July 31 st 2021

A qualitative systematic review on nurses' experiences of workplace bullying and implications for nursing practice.

To explore nurses' experiences of workplace bullying and ways to prevent such occurrences. A qualitative systematic review was conducted. Five electronic databases were searched from each database's inception to December 2020. Meta-summary and meta-synthesis were conducted using Sandelowski and Barroso's approach. Twenty-seven studies were included in this review. The overarching theme, 'The Vicious Cycle of Bullying in Nursing', and four themes were synthesized: (a) different 'faces' of bullying, (b) the hidden drivers of bullying, (c) impact of being bullied and (d) responses to bullying. The nursing code of ethics and anti-bullying policies should be consistently enforced by each organization's upper management. Nurses should be provided a safe space to voice their concerns on bullying within the organization.

Factors Associated With Workplace Bullying and the Mental Health of Construction Industry Apprentices: A Mixed Methods Study.

Young Australian males working in the construction industry are twice as likely to take their own lives than other young Australian males. This group is also at high risk for poor mental health and alcohol and other drug related harm. Previous research has indicated a bullying culture within this industry, directed particularly toward apprentices and those new to the industry. This Australian study applied an exploratory sequential mixed methods design to explore issues faced by apprentices, estimate the prevalence of bullying and explore the factors associated with bullying and the mental health of apprentices. The results revealed that a substantial proportion of construction industry apprentices experience workplace bullying, are exposed to suicidal behaviors, and personally experience suicidal ideation. Multivariate analyses showed that bullying in apprentices was significantly associated with greater psychological distress, as well as being a 3rd year apprentice or not currently in an active apprenticeship. Results also indicated that bullying may be associated with substance use, lower levels of well-being, working nights away from home, the plumbing trades, and working for larger organizations. The outcomes from this study have important implications for the construction industry and will be vital for informing policies and evidence-based interventions to address bullying and mental health in this sector.

Mobbing in the Public Sector: the Case of the Ministry of National Defence of Lithuania and its Institutions

One element of any organization’s success is its organizational culture that manifests itself through the creation of a value system and emphasis on the well-being of employees. In this context, mobbing is a phenomenon understood as psychological stress experienced by individuals at work as a result of certain actions by another person leading to negative consequences for the individual, the organization and society. Given the fact that mobbing in statutory organizations or in organisations involved in their activities has hardly been studied, this article aims to reveal the peculiarities of mobbing in the Ministry of National Defence of Lithuania and its institutions through the organizational environment and employees’ relationships. Two hundred and one participants responded to the questionnaire. It was found that mobbing exists in the Ministry of National Defence and its institutions, but the number of employees experiencing workplace bullying corresponds to the general trend established by scientific research. The results also revealed that mobbing does not depend on the employee’s length of service, it is most commonly expressed through verbal communication and women experience it more often than men. It can be stated that the prevention of mobbing in the institutions under analysis is very weak and conflicts are solved in a time-consuming manner, concentrating only on local measures.