Work Environment Hypothesis Research Articles

Role ambiguity as an antecedent to workplace bullying: Hostile work climate and supportive leadership as intermediate factors

Previous studies have shown role stress to be an important antecedent of workplace bullying. The present study investigated when and how a long-term effect of role ambiguity on exposure to bullying may be present. Based on the work environment hypothesis, we hypothesized that (a) there is a long-term effect of role ambiguity on exposure of bullying, (b) that this relationship is mediated by hostile work climate, and (c) moderated by supportive leadership. Using a three-wave design, with a time lag of 41–45 months, we showed support for all three hypotheses. The study underscores the importance of clear work-related roles as well as the importance of supportive leadership to prevent the onset of bullying following role stress and hostile climates.

Acting out when psychosocial safety climate is low: understanding why middle-level managers experience upward mistreatment.

Upward mistreatment, despite being under studied, is an influential phenomenon affecting middle managers' well-being and performance. The work environment hypothesis of bullying proposes that an undesirable work context is the main cause of workplace bullying, suggesting the importance of creating an anti-mistreatment climate, that is, psychosocial safety climate (PSC). In this study, we argue that upward bullying and aggression are unsafe behaviors, a "retaliation" by employees resulting from their unsafe work context. Using a large-scale multisource sample collected from 123 organizations, 6,658 middle managers and 34,953 employees, we examined the relationship between collective PSC, individual-perceived PSC and middle managers' experience of upward mistreatment. Single-level and multi-level modeling results suggested that PSC is an important element in reducing the likelihood of upward bullying and aggression, in turn, protecting managers' well-being. More importantly, upward bullying is a way that employees act out when there is an undesirable working context. Future research on workplace mistreatment should examine PSC and upward mistreatment. Interventions provided should focus on improving PSC which could in turn preventing upward mistreatment, thereby improving psychosocial safety for both employees and middle managers to prevent negative actions.

A role that takes its toll? The moderating role of leadership in role stress and exposure to workplace bullying

PurposeThe purpose of the article is to provide further evidence for the work environment hypothesis. According to the work environment hypothesis and as documented by empirical evidence, organizational factors play a crucial role in the development of workplace bullying. However, to better understand and prevent bullying at work and establish sustainable, responsible and ethical workplaces, it is crucial to understand which organizational factors are particularly important in the development of bullying and how these factors, independently and combined, act as precursors to bullying over time. One prominent theory that explains how organizational and individual factors interact is the affective events theory (AET).Design/methodology/approachIn a two-wave, time-lagged study (N = 364), the authors apply AET to test and explain the interplay of organizational factors in the development of bullying at work.FindingsThe results revealed that supportive and fair leadership moderates the relationship between role stress and exposure to workplace bullying.Practical implicationsKnowledge of the buffering role of supportive and fair leadership practices is important when implementing organizational interventions aimed at preventing bullying at work.Originality/valueAlthough previous studies have shown the general protecting effects of supportive leadership on exposure to bullying, the current study indicates that high level of supportive and fair leadership practices decreases the level of exposure to bullying, even when role ambiguity and role conflict are relatively high.

The Effect of Work Environment, Work Discipline on Employee Performance with Communication as an Intermediate Variable in Government Agencies

The population in this research is all employees, so the total population for this research is 129 people. The sample in this study was 129 employees. This research uses census sampling techniques. In preparing this research, data collection techniques were obtained, including interviews and questionnaires. The test results show that the relationship between the work environment and communication is negative and not significant. Thus, it can be said that the work environment hypothesis has a negative influence on communication and is not significant or rejected. There is a relationship between work discipline and communication that is both negative and significant. Thus, it can be said that the hypothesis that work discipline has a negative and significant influence on motivation is accepted. There is a relationship between communication and performance that is positive and significant. Thus, it can be said that the hypothesis that communication has a positive and significant influence on performance is accepted. There is a relationship between work environment and performance that is positive but not significant. Thus, it can be said that the hypothesis that the work environment has a positive and significant influence on performance is accepted. A good work environment encourages employee morale, which can improve employee performance. There is a relationship between work discipline and performance that is positive and significant. Thus, it can be said that the hypothesis that work discipline has a positive and significant influence on performance is accepted.

Pengaruh Lingkungan Kerja Terhadap Kinerja Karyawan Pada Unit Penyelenggara Bandar Udara Tunggul Wulung Cilacap

ABSTRACT, The influence of the work environment on employee performance is closely related to the process of achieving company goals. Employees will work productively or not depending on motivation, job satisfaction, stress levels, physical conditions of work, social pressures, and changes that occur that affect employee performance. The changes that have occurred at Tunggul Wulung Cilacap Airport include a decrease in the number of commercial aircraft passengers since the COVID-19 pandemic. So that the maintenance of the facility does not run intensively and the work is still done manually. The purpose of this study was to determine how much influence the working environment has on employee performance at UPBU Tunggul Wulung Cilacap. This study used an associative quantitative method using data from the results of distributing questionnaires to 74 employees with a sample selection using a simple random sampling approach. Data analysis techniques used in this study were validity tests, reliability tests, normality tests, homogeneity testing, simple linear regression tests, and the coefficient of determination using IBM SPSS Statistics 26.
 Based on the results of the research that has been done, the results of testing the work environment hypothesis show a t-count value of 6,180, or positive, with a significant level of 0.000. So with a t-count > t-table (6.180 > 1.993) and a significant level of less than 0.05 (0.000 0.05), the hypothesis in this study accepts H and rejects Ho. Through the results of simple linear regression calculations, the value of Y = 35,843 + 0,346X is obtained. Level 0.000 0.05, so the conclusion is that there is an influence of the work environment on employee performance. Based on the results of the determination coefficient, the value of R (R Square) 0.347 is equal to 34.79%, which means that the influence of the working environment on employee performance is 34.7%.

Pengaruh Remunerasi, Lingkungan Kerja dan Kompetensi Terhadap Kepuasan Kerja

This research aims to find out the influence jointly or partially between remuneration, work environment and competence to the job satisfaction of the Workers at the Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan Swasta Siti Banun. This research uses descriptive qualitative method using primary and secondary data. The population is the workers of the company. Fifty five become the sample of this research. Data analysis technique used is linear regression which shows that from the three independent variables applied to the regression model (remuneration, work environment and competence). Remuneration is significant for 0,003 which can be concluded that remuneration affects job satisfaction (hypothesis 1 accepted). Work environment has significant value 0,001 which can be concluded that quality of work environment (hypothesis 2 accepted). Competence variable has significant value 0,001 which means that competence influences job satisfaction (hypothesis 3 accepted). Research results show that remuneration, work environment and competence all positively influence the job satisfaction of the workers. It can be proven using the result of regression statistic test with probability value 0,000 obtained which is lower than α (α=0,05). So, it can be said that remuneration, work environment and competence influence positively the job satisfaction of the workers. Thus, hypothesis 4 accepted

When the Going Gets Tough and the Environment Is Rough: The Role of Departmental Level Hostile Work Climate in the Relationships between Job Stressors and Workplace Bullying

In line with the work environment hypothesis, the present study investigates whether department-level perceptions of hostile work climate moderate the relationship between psychosocial predictors of workplace bullying (i.e., role conflicts and workload) and exposure to bullying behaviours in the workplace. The data were collected among all employees in a Belgian university and constitutes of 1354 employees across 134 departments. As hypothesized, analyses showed positive main effects of role conflict and workload on exposure to bullying behaviours. In addition, the hypothesized strengthening effect of department-level hostile work climate on the relationship between individual-level job demands and individual exposure to bullying behaviours was significant for role conflict. Specifically, the positive relationship between role conflict and exposure to bullying behaviours was stronger among employees working in departments characterized by a pronounced hostile work climate. In contrast to our predictions, a positive relationship existed between workload and exposure to bullying behaviours, yet only among individuals in departments with low hostile work climate. These findings contribute to the bullying research field by showing that hostile work climate may strengthen the impact of role stress on bullying behaviours, most likely by posing as an additional distal stressor, which may fuel a bullying process. These findings have important theoretical as well as applied implications.

The Indirect Role of Passive-Avoidant and Transformational Leadership through Job and Team Level Stressors on Workplace Cyberbullying

Research on workplace cyberbullying (WCB) is still scarce and needs verification. This study addressed the indirect influence of positive and negative leadership on WCB via perceived role stressors and negative team climate. The main goal is to test the applicability of the work environment hypothesis and job demands-resources model for WCB on a cross-sectional sample of n = 583 workers in Germany (n = 334) and Spain (n = 249). We tested multiple mediation models, and findings revealed that negative (passive-avoidant) leadership increased role and team stressors and thereby WCB exposure, whereas positive (transformational) leadership decreased the same stressors and thereby reduced WCB exposure. No cross-cultural differences were found, indicating portability of the results. This study highlights the explanatory factors for WCB at individual and team level and emphasizes the role of managers as shapers of the work environmental antecedents of WCB in the emergent digitalized working world. Theoretical implications and future research avenues are discussed.

Workplace bullying: individual hostility, poor work environment or both? Exploring competing explanatory models in a single longitudinal study.

A central focus of research and literature on workplace bullying is the importance of explanatory factors such as individual dispositions (i.e., the vulnerability hypothesis) and work environment factors (i.e., the work environment hypothesis). Although several studies address the importance of the two approaches, as well as their individual and combined effects, the unique contribution of each of the competing approaches remain unexplored in a single longitudinal study. Based on Affective Events Theory, we explore the contribution of work environment and individual hostility in the occurrence of workplace bullying over time, using two-wave survey data, collected with a 6-month time lag among 152 employees from 7 private and public workplaces. Results confirmed that work environment factors predicted later exposure to bullying. Exposure to workplace bullying at T1 was also related to a poor work environment at T2. Results further showed that higher exposure to workplace bullying at T1 and T2 was related to higher levels of almost all aspects of individual hostility over time. Moreover, poor working conditions especially in T1 predicted individual hostility at T2. The present study thus documents that a poor work environment fosters bullying, and when bullying exists in a workplace, this elicits interpersonal hostility. Results points to the importance of addressing, through research and practice, work environment factors as predictors of workplace bullying.

A Prospective Study of Employee Response to Bullying in a Workplace Environment: Does Assertiveness Actually Help or Hurt?

The aim of the present two-wave prospective study was twofold: (1) to identify the role of assertiveness in exposure to workplace bullying and (2) to determine causal and reverse causal long-term associations between workplace bullying exposure, working conditions and assertiveness. In the present two-wave panel design study (N = 128), with a six-month lag, high assertiveness predicted exposure to bullying. Furthermore, in line with the work environment hypothesis, the results indicate that negative workplace conditions in the first wave led to workplace bullying exposure. The findings suggest that assertive communication may be inappropriate in the case of workplace bullying. As such, we argue that functional assertiveness could be useful.

Analysis of Effect on the Working Environment, Work Motivation, and Discipline on Performance Employees of PT. Seimitsu Indonesia

ABSTRACT 
 This study aims to examine the influence of the work environment, work motivation, and work discipline on the performance of employees of PT Fuji Seimitsu Indonesia. The sampling method used was technique sampling non probability saturated sampling technique so that the entire population that is, 70 people were sampled. This type of research is quantitative, for data This research was obtained from a questionnaire that has been filled in by the employees of PT Fuji Seimitsu Indonesia. The analytical method used is the validity test, reliability test, classical assumption test, multiple linear analysis test, and coefficient determination in the IBM SPSS 22 for Windows program. The results of the work environment hypothesis test show t arithmetic> t table (2.016> 1.997) then there is an influence between the work environment on performance employees, the results of the work motivation hypothesis test show t arithmetic <t table (-0.823 <1.997) then there is no influence between work motivation on employee performance, while the results of the work discipline hypothesis test showed t count> t table (5.107> 1.997) then there is an influence between work discipline on employee performance, and simultaneously shows Fcount> F table (22,582> 2,744) then there is an influence between work environment, work motivation, and work discipline on employee performance.

The last resort: Workplace bullying and the consequences of changingjobs.

This study investigated the consequences of changing jobs for employees subjected to workplace bullying. First, we hypothesized that bullied employees would be more likely to change jobs than non‐bullied employees. Moreover, we hypothesized that changing jobs would result in a reduction of exposure to bullying behaviors and an alleviation of mental health problems for those bullied at baseline. The study was based on a longitudinal probability sample of the whole Swedish workforce (n = 1,095). The time lag was 18 months. The results supported all hypotheses except one. Those employees who were bullied at baseline were more likely to have changed jobs at follow‐up. Also, for the changers there was a reduction in exposure to subsequent bullying. The actual drop in exposure to bullying behaviors was significant and substantial. This gives further support for the work environment hypothesis, suggesting the work context may be a more important cause than individual characteristics. As for mental health problems, the association between bullying and subsequent anxiety was not significant for those changing jobs, suggesting that leaving a toxic workplace may reduce anxiety relatively quickly. However, depression symptoms were not affected by the change of jobs, and the association between bullying and subsequent depression was the same 18 months later. The conclusion is that changing jobs can be a useful, last resort on an individual level, improving the situation for the victim of bullying. However, it is important to note that it does not solve any underlying organizational problems and risk factors.

When workload predicts exposure to bullying behaviours in nurses: The protective role of social support and job recognition.

This study examined the moderating role of two resources (social support and recognition) in the longitudinal relationship between workload and bullying behaviours in nurses. A two-wave (12-month) longitudinal study was conducted. French-Canadian nurses (n=279) completed an online survey (October 2014 and October 2015) assessing their perceptions of job characteristics within the work environment (workload, social support, job recognition) as well as exposure to negative behaviours at work. Workload positively predicted exposure to bullying behaviours over time, but only when job recognition and social support were low. Workload was unrelated to bullying when social support was high and was negatively related to bullying when job recognition was high. This study aligns with the work environment hypothesis, showing that poorly designed and stressful job environments provide fertile ground for bullying behaviours. Bullying is a growing concern in the nursing profession that not only undermines nurses' well-being but also compromises patient safety and care. It is thus important to identify work-related factors that can contribute to the presence of bullying behaviours in nurses in the hopes of reducing their occurrence and repercussions. This study contributes to this endeavour and identifies two key social coping resources that can help manage the stress associated with workload, resulting in less perceived bullying behaviour among nurses.

Daily work pressure and exposure to bullying-related negative acts: The role of daily transformational and laissez-faire leadership

The present study integrates the work environment hypothesis and the effort-reward imbalance model to argue that work-related antecedents of workplace bullying are moderated by the day-to-day leadership practices of one’s immediate leader. Specifically, we propose that individuals’ daily experiences of work pressure are positively related to their daily experiences of bullying-related negative acts. Moreover, we claim that this relationship is weaker on days when those individuals report high (vs. low) levels of transformational leadership behaviour, and stronger on days when they report high (vs. low) levels of laissez-faire leadership behaviour. To test these three hypotheses, we asked 61 naval cadets on a tall ship sailing from Northern Europe to North America to fill out a diary questionnaire for 36 days yielding 1509 observations. The results of multilevel analyses supported our hypothesis of a positive relationship of cadets’ daily reports of work pressure with their daily reports of bullying-related negative acts. In addition, laissez-faire leadership behaviour (but not transformational leadership behaviour) moderated the work pressure–bullying-related negative acts relationship. Our findings support the assumption that laissez-faire leadership is an important component in the development of conflict escalation and workplace bullying, while transformational leadership is not. We discuss theoretical as well as practical implications of these findings.

Person-environment fit as a parsimonious framework to explain workplace bullying

PurposeThis study tested whether person-job fit (PJ-fit), person-group fit (PG-fit) and person-organization fit (PO-fit) relate to exposure to and enactment of workplace bullying (WB), mediated by strain and conflict.Design/methodology/approachData from 1,077 employees were analysed using multiple mediator structural equation modelling (Mplus 8.0).FindingsPJ-fit, PG-fit and PO-fit all related to WB. PG-fit accounted for most explained variance. PJ-fit, PG-fit and PO-fit related to bullying through strain; only PG-fit also related to bullying through conflict.Research limitations/implicationsPE-fit is valuable to parsimoniously investigate WB's multi-causal nature; and strain and conflict partially explain the associations. Future research may shed more light on the direction of these effects.Practical implicationsSo far, scholars assumed that job design prevents WB (work-environment hypothesis). This study revealed that prevention should also focus on the fit between employee and group/organization.Social implicationsWB has high societal costs. The authors introduce a new angle to WB prevention. To counteract WB, practitioners should also look at PJ-fit, PG-fit and PO-fit. This is not only important for recruitment, but also for tenured employees (e.g. because of changes in employees' needs, the job, the group or the organization).Originality/valueThis study was the first to investigate the multi-causal nature of both WB exposure and enactment, by applying the lens of PE-fit, and testing explanatory mechanisms.

Organisational antecedents of workplace victimisation: The role of organisational climate, culture, leadership, support, and justice in predicting junior doctors' exposure to bullying at work

Workplace bullying is a pervasive phenomenon among junior doctors that may negatively impact their training and abilities to deliver quality healthcare, yet evidence on the factors of bullying among them remains lacking. This study examined the role of organisational climate, culture, leadership, support, and justice in junior doctors' exposure to workplace bullying on the basis of the work environment hypothesis, which suggests that workplace psychosocial factors are the main antecedents of bullying at work. Multilevel analysis of a universal sample (n = 1074) of junior doctors working in the central zone of Malaysia, using mixed effects logistic regression, was conducted. Analysis indicates that junior doctors working in departments with neutral and positive organisational climate, moderate and high degree of clan culture, moderate and high degree of adhocracy culture, moderate degree of hierarchy culture, moderate degree of production and achievement-oriented leadership style, moderate and high degree of organisational support, moderate degree of procedural justice, moderate and high degree of interactional justice, and high degree of distributive justice have lower odds of bullying compared with their counterparts. The results present evidence that all aspects of the organisation influence junior doctors' exposure to bullying and should be considered when developing antibullying initiatives targeted at them.

Pengaruh Gaya Kepemimpinan, Budaya Organisasi, dan Lingkungan Kerja Terhadap Kinerja Karyawan Melalui Motivasi pada PDAM Tirta Mayang Kota Jambi

In every organization both government and private, human is an important asset in an effort to achieve the goals that have been determined. Leadership style, organizational culture, work motivation and performance of employees who reside within the organization need to be organized in order to achieve organizational goals. Style leadership, organizational culture and work environment and motivation is one of several factors that can affect employee performance. This study aims to test and analyze these variables on employee performance PDAM Tirta Mayang City Jambi. The study was conducted by using path analysis using SPSS version 22.0 in analyzed data. The test results showed that the hypothesis of leadership style, organizational culture and motivation have positive and significant influence on performance, and testing work environment hypothesis have negative and insignificant effect on employee performance of PDAM Tirta Mayang Jambi City.

The JDCS Model and Blue-Collar Bullying: Decent Working Conditions for a Healthy Environment.

Violence in the workplace and its health consequences still represent one of the main obstacles to obtaining decent working conditions. In particular, blue-collar workers run a greater risk of experiencing episodes of violence, also because of a lack of autonomy and fewer social interactions. According to the work environment hypothesis, factors such as high workload, lack of social support and lack of job control represent the antecedents of workplace bullying. Following the job demand-control-support model (JDCS), violence can be the symptom of a high-strain environment. Moreover, it is still unclear if workplace bullying can mediate the effects of work-related stress on workers’ health outcomes. The aim of the present study is to analyse the relationship between the components of the JDCS and the health of the workers considering workplace bullying as a mediating variable. By a cross sectional study design, we tested the following theoretical hypotheses: first, JDCS components (conceptualized as stress) are supposed to significantly predict the level of workers’ health. Second, workplace bullying is supposed to mediate the relationship between the JDCS components and the level of health. The sample consists of 400 blue-collars from three different Italian companies. Work-related stress, health outcomes and workplace bullying were measured by specific self-administered questionnaires and the relationships between the variables of interest were tested through a structural equation model (SEM) analysis. The results showed that while the direct relationship between the components of the JDCS and the level of psychological health is weaker (standardized path coefficients SPC = 0.21), the partial mediation hypothesis shows that workplace bullying mediate the relationship between JDCS components and health outcomes (χ2/df ratio = 2.70; path from stress to workplace bullying SPC = 0.78; path from workplace bullying to general health SPC = 0.51; p = 0.01). The JDCS components (workload, lack of control, lack of support) are useful predictors for workplace bullying. On the other hand, bullying plays a mediating role between the stress experienced and the health consequences. The present study adds new insights into the relationship between violence seen as a form of social behavioural strain and the psychological health of workers. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Future research on blue-collars could use longitudinal designs in order to analyse the relationship between social environment, job design and strain reactions.

Prevention through job design: Identifying high-risk job characteristics associated with workplace bullying.

Work environment hypothesis, a predominant theoretical framework in workplace bullying literature, postulates that job characteristics may trigger workplace bullying. Yet, these characteristics are often assessed by employees based on their experience of the job. This study aims to assess how job characteristics, independently assessed via Occupational Information Network (O*NET), are related to perceived job characteristics reported by employees, which, in turn, are associated with self-reported workplace bullying. Multilevel mediation analyses from 3,829 employees in 209 occupations confirmed that employees, whose work schedules are more irregular and whose work involves a higher level of conflictual contact (as assessed by O*NET), report experiencing higher job demands, which are associated with higher exposure to bullying. Moreover, employees working in jobs structured to allow for more discretion in decision-making (as assessed by O*NET) report experiencing more job autonomy and are less likely to experience bullying. The results offer some clues as to how the way in which a job is structured is related to how that job is perceived, which in turn is associated with exposure to bullying. Our findings also suggest that a job design perspective to redesign certain job characteristics may offer an additional viable approach to prevent workplace bullying. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The moderating effect of laissez‐faire leadership on the relationship between co‐worker conflicts and new cases of workplace bullying: A true prospective design

In line with the work environment hypothesis, interpersonal conflict has been proposed as an important antecedent of workplace bullying. However, longitudinal studies on this relationship have been scarce. The aim of this study was to examine whether co‐worker conflict predicted new cases of self‐reported workplace bullying 2 years later and whether laissez‐faire leadership moderated this relationship. In a sample of 1,772 employees, drawn from the Norwegian working population, the hypotheses that co‐worker conflict increased the risk of subsequently reporting being a victim of workplace bullying and that laissez‐faire leadership strengthened this relationship were supported. This study empirically supports the work environment hypothesis by showing that co‐worker conflict within a true prospective research design is a source of new cases of bullying and that the lack and avoidance of leadership, through the enactment of a laissez‐faire leadership style, likely is a main source for co‐worker conflict to develop into workplace bullying.