Workplace Cyberbullying Research Articles

Workplace cyberbullying: a systematic literature review on its definition, theories, and the role of HRD

Workplace cyberbullying: a systematic literature review on its definition, theories, and the role of HRD

Unveiling the Shadow of Workplace Cyberbullying in the Digital Age: A Call for Research in Africa

Workplace cyberbullying, exacerbated by the growing prevalence of digital work environments, has emerged as a significant threat to employee well-being and organisational productivity. Despite increasing research attention around the world, there is a critical gap in understanding the unique context and implications of cyberbullying within African workplaces, particularly those operating in digital spaces. This bibliometric analysis, utilising Scopus and Web of Science databases, systematically examines the publications on workplace cyberbullying from 2000 to 2024 using Microsoft Excel and visualisation tools such as VOS Viewer. The findings underscore a stark disparity in research focus, with most studies originating from developed countries and neglecting African organisations’ specific challenges. Although South Africa and Ghana have made initial contributions, a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence, manifestations, and consequences of cyberbullying in diverse African cultural and organisational settings in Africa remains elusive. This study serves as a call to action for researchers and practitioners to prioritise investigations into cyberbullying in Africa, highlighting the need for culturally sensitive interventions and policies tailored to digital work environments. By addressing this research gap, organisations can promote healthier and more sustainable workplaces for employees across Africa.

The Relationship between Laissez-Faire Leadership and Cyberbullying at Work: The Role of Interpersonal Conflicts.

A person can experience cyberbullying at work when exposed to repetitive and intrusive negative acts facilitated by new information and communication technologies (ICTs). The incidence of workplace cyberbullying has rapidly increased following the COVID-19 pandemic. This issue does not arise in isolation; leadership plays a critical role. Leaders who fail to set clear rules and provide minimal supervision may exacerbate interpersonal conflicts among subordinates. This study explores the role of laissez-faire leadership and interpersonal conflicts on workplace cyberbullying from a gender perspective. A two-wave panel study was conducted (N = 1995; 53.6% women; M age = 42.02 years old; SD = 9.23; age range: 18-74 years old). Our findings indicate no direct relationship between laissez-faire leadership and workplace cyberbullying; however, there is a significant indirect relationship. Laissez-faire leadership is associated with a higher frequency of interpersonal conflicts, which in turn are related to cyberbullying, making interpersonal conflicts a mediator. Additionally, gender moderates the relationship between interpersonal conflicts and workplace cyberbullying. Our results suggest that interpersonal conflicts may increase exposure to cyberbullying, particularly for men under laissez-faire leadership. These findings have managerial implications for introducing tailored interventions to prevent workplace cyberbullying.

Workplace Cyberbullying, Employee Wellbeing, and Intention to Stay in Remote and Hybrid work setting

Workplace Cyberbullying, Employee Wellbeing, and Intention to Stay in Remote and Hybrid work setting

Towards a sustainable workplace: investigating workplace cyberbullying and its relationship with employee wellbeing and intention to stay in remote and hybrid work settings

PurposeThe advent of information and communication technologies in workplace settings has broadened the range of bullying behaviours that can manifest in the digital realm. However, there is a lack of knowledge concerning the impact of situational factors on employees' perceived cyberbullying within the workplace framework. Broadly, this study aims to investigate the effects of workplace cyberbullying on employees' wellbeing at work and their intention to stay with the organization, across two groups of employees: those who work in a fully remote mode and those employed in hybrid work arrangements.Design/methodology/approachThe current descriptive and time-lagged study was conducted among a sample of 373 employees who work in the information technology sector in India, in either fully-remote or hybrid mode. The study utilized self-report questionnaires, which employed previously validated questionnaires. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling and multi-group analysis using IBM SPSS, AMOS, and STATs Tools Package.FindingsThe results demonstrate that cyberbullying negatively affects wellbeing at work and employees' intentions to stay with the organization. Remote-work employees experienced higher effects of workplace cyberbullying on their wellbeing at work. Also, the indirect effect of wellbeing at work was more pronounced and influential among remote work employees than hybrid work employees, suggesting the need for tailored support and resources for remote workers. Multi-group analysis across employees working in remote and hybrid work arrangements revealed that the relationship between workplace cyber-bullying and wellbeing at work is statistically stronger for remote-work employees.Originality/valueThis study represents a novel approach to developing and evaluating a theoretical model that explores the relationship between workplace cyberbullying, wellbeing at work, and the intention to stay with the organization within the context of remote/hybrid work arrangements. The findings offer theoretical and practical implications regarding the impact of workplace cyberbullying on job outcomes and aim to bridge a gap in current research. Particularly, the study highlights the positive outcomes of hybrid work over remote work and offers recommendations to mitigate the negative experiences among employees who work remotely.

Organizational politics, anger and workplace cyberbullying perpetration: a multigroup analysis of gender

PurposeDrawing on affective events theory, the purpose of this paper was to investigate direct and indirect relationships between perceived organizational politics and workplace cyberbullying (WCB) perpetration mediated through anger, as well as to examine the moderating role of gender in these relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe sample comprised 534 white-collar employees who were employed in a variety of service industries, including banking, higher education, telecommunications, health care and insurance in Islamabad, Pakistan. Data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique in Amos.FindingsResults demonstrated that perceived organizational politics has a direct positive effect on WCB perpetration. Moreover, results indicated that perceived organizational politics evokes anger among employees that, in turn, triggers WCB perpetration. Results of a multigroup analysis revealed that the positive effect of perceived organizational politics on WCB perpetration was not significantly different between men and women. However, the positive relationship between perceived organizational politics and anger was significantly stronger for men than for women. Likewise, this study found a significantly stronger relationship for men than for women between anger and WCB perpetration. Anger partially mediated the relationship between perceived organizational politics and WCB perpetration only among men.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that perceived organizational politics triggers WCB perpetration directly and indirectly through its impact on anger. Moreover, this study identified gender differences in the experience and expression of anger in response to perceived organizational politics.

A 1-year longitudinal study on experiencing workplace cyberbullying, affective well-being and work engagement of teachers: The mediating effect of cognitive reappraisal.

Research on experiencing workplace cyberbullying (WCB) and its underlying mechanisms that impact the well-being of teachers is scarce. We propose that cognitive reappraisal, which is a useful and adaptive emotion-regulation strategy for reinterpreting emotion-eliciting situations, is a mediator explaining the inverse relationships between experiencing WCB and well-being. A three-wave longitudinal survey (baseline, T1; 3months, T2; and 1year, T3) was conducted with a sample of 444 primary and secondary schoolteachers in Hong Kong, China. Exposure to WCB, cognitive reappraisal, affective well-being and work engagement of participants was assessed. In line with the hypotheses, results showed that cognitive reappraisal mediated the associations between WCB and well-being. WCB at T1 was negatively associated with cognitive reappraisal at T2, which in turn was positively associated with positive affect and work engagement and negatively associated with negative affect at T3. Findings suggest that the intrusive nature of WCB renders its victims emotionally exhausted and helpless, thus negatively impacting the process to reinterpret the situation in a positive light, resulting in undesirable consequences. This study has illuminated WCB's inhibitory mechanism and its long-term detrimental impact. Practical implications are discussed.

The effects of COVID-19 risk, gender, and self-compassion on the workplace cyberbullying and job satisfaction of university faculty

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to examine workplace cyberbullying (WPCB) in higher education. Specifically, the study examines the relationship between WPCB and several important factors such as self-compassion, job satisfaction, and gender. The cross-sectional study administered a survey to a convenience sample of 179 faculty members. The regression model showed that self-compassion was positively related to job satisfaction, whereas WPCB was negatively related to job satisfaction after controlling for covariates. The path analysis model results showed that gender and COVID-19 risk of severe illness were related to WPCB. Additionally, self-compassion mediated the inverse relationship between WPCB and job satisfaction.

Workplace cyberbullying and social capital among Jordanian university academic staff: a cross-sectional study

Workplace cyberbullying has harmful psychological, social, and behavioral consequences for employees and employers. This study investigates workplace cyberbullying among academic staff of both sexes at Jordanian universities, to explore their exposure to workplace cyberbullying by colleagues and employers and its correlation with social capital and self-esteem. Data were collected through an anonymous online survey involving Jordanian academic staff. The findings revealed that workplace cyberbullying reduces with increasing social capital. No relationship was detected between workplace cyberbullying and self-esteem. A positive correlation was found between self-esteem and structural social capital. Age, sex, and university sector do not predict academic workplace cyberbullying levels. The results indicate that administrators and policymakers in the Jordanian higher education sector should improve social capital among academics, given its positive implications for self-esteem, organizational life, and the prevention of distress. This strategy is appropriate in the turbulent conditions confronting academics working in a context with an increasingly dominant digital culture.

Workplace cyberbullying toward the Arab minority in Israel: gender differences in attitudes and attribution of blame

ABSTRACT The current study examined gender differences among Israeli Jews in attitudes and attribution of blame regarding workplace cyberbullying directed against Israeli Arabs. Three hundred and nineteen Jewish Israeli adults (65.3% female) participated in the study. The participants read a scenario with either a male or a female victim and rated the attribution of blame of the perpetrator and the victim, the severity of perpetration and the severity of punishment. ANCOVA indicated a significant main effect of observer gender and a significant interaction between participant gender and victim gender. Women perceived workplace cyberbullying as more severe, attributed more blame to the perpetrator, and were in favor of giving harsher punishments to the perpetrator, but this difference manifested only in cases of male victims. In female victim cases, there was no significant gender difference between the participants. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of gender differences in attitudes and blame attributions regarding workplace cyberbullying, specifically when the victim belongs to a minority group, and highlights the gender interplay of both participants and victims.

“I would not want to be viewed as someone that complains”: a mixed methods analysis of the factors that contribute to concealment and disclosure of workplace cyberbullying

ABSTRACT Almost half of all U.S. employees have experienced some form of workplace bullying . Stress and decreased job satisfaction are just some of the negative impacts victims or bystanders of workplace bullying can undergo . With the increased use of computer-mediated communication and social media, workplace cyberbullying is a concern in addition to face-to-face workplace bullying. The current study explored decisions to disclose workplace cyberbullying from a communication privacy management perspective. Quantitative results from 185 participants show the contextual criteria of important reason and conversational appropriateness to predict the depth of workplace cyberbullying disclosures and important reason to predict the breadth of disclosures. Qualitative results show factors that influenced concealment of workplace cyberbullying include fear of potential negative outcomes, lack of trust, and unwelcome culture, whereas factors that influenced disclosure of workplace cyberbullying included an open and safe space, impact of cyberbullying, the ‘greater good effect,’ and confidence in the situation improving. Results of this study can assist organizations and leaders in creating environments and trainings that encourage employees to disclose workplace cyberbullying.

Cyber-Bullying at Workplace and its Mental Health Outcomes: A Linguistic Analysis

Background: Cyberbullying is a growing concern in educational settings, but recent evidence indicates that it has become prevalent in professional environments as well. With the advent of digital communication, employees have become vulnerable to cyberbullying not only during work hours but also in their personal time. This study focuses on understanding the psychological impacts of cyberbullying in the workplace. Objective: The primary aim of this research was to investigate the lived experiences of cyberbullying victims in the workplace, to comprehend the depth of its psychological implications, and to identify coping mechanisms employed by victims. The study also aimed to examine the patterns of cyberbullying across different hierarchical levels within an organization. Methods: A qualitative, phenomenological approach was adopted, involving semi-structured interviews with eight employees from a public-sector university in Lahore, Pakistan. Participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling techniques, and thematic analysis was utilized to interpret the data. Results: Participants reported experiencing stress, embarrassment, and anger due to cyberbullying, with these emotions stemming from a sense of vulnerability and public exposure. Cyberbullying incidents occurred through emails, social media, and text messages, often leading to a need for self-preservation and coping strategies. The study found that aggressors included not just superiors but also peers and subordinates. Conclusion: The study concluded that workplace cyberbullying is a multifaceted issue that affects individuals across different levels of employment. It causes significant psychological distress, necessitating effective strategies for prevention and intervention. Future research should explore the role of organizational leadership in addressing workplace cyberbullying and aim for more generalizable findings through quantitative research.

Prevalence and patterns of workplace cyberbullying among dental and medical undergraduate students. A cross-sectional study.

Cyberbullying is an act of bullying that is conducted through the use of technology in an online mode such as over social media platforms or via text-based messages. It is an intentionally repeated aggressive activity in which harm is inflicted on a person using electronic media. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and pattern of workplace cyberbullying in undergraduate students inmedical and dental streams. This study used a mixed explanatory cross-sectional study design by making use of a structured questionnaire for the survey. This "two-phase" mixed design utilized qualitative data for the explanation of quantitative observations. The selected study subjects were three hundred undergraduate medical and dental students. To obtain data, an electronically fabricated questionnaire (i.e. Google Form) consisting of open- and closed-ended questions was distributed. All questions were designed for studying prevalence and patterns of cyberbullying that had been experienced by the victims. Obtained data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science software version 20.0 (SPSS v20.0) based on a Likert-based questionnaire scale in which responses were recorded in "yes" or "no" format. The statistical tool employed was the "Chi-square" test. On analysis of the level of knowledge, 92% of the study sample was aware of cyberbullying as different from the physical form of bullying. The most commonly employed tools for handling cyberbullying were conferencing (0.66% of cases) and disciplinary tools (5% of cases). 14.33% of cases involved the use of investigations, and 2.66% made use of victim counseling. Most of the students, along with their parents (89%), were of the opinion that teachers must have active participation in cyberbullying cases. On statistical comparison, the P-value was found to be less than 0.05. In the present study, cases of cyberbullying were found to be less prevalent in medical and dental undergraduate students although there was knowledge regarding this form of bullying in studied participants.

Validation of the inventory of acts of cyberbullying in the workplace (ICA-W)

Workplace cyberbullying is an emerging phenomenon that has received little attention in the academic literature. This research sought to validate an instrument to measure cyberbullying in work contexts. The ICA-W scale of Vranjes et al. (2018) was translated, and an exploration of its psychometric properties was conducted. Validity was assessed by exploratory factor analysis and through nomological network analysis with the constructs of psychological harassment, life satisfaction, and subjective happiness. The results support the quality of the instrument, finding a reliability of .88 and convergent validity with the psychological harassment scale (rho = .52), as well as divergent validity with the satisfaction with life scale (rho = -.17). Factor analysis revealed a unidimensional solution that explained 65% of the variance. It is concluded that the ICA-W scale is reliable and valid, but assuming certain restrictions in its application in Chilean workers.

A Pilot Study to Examine the Effects of a Workplace Cyberbullying Cognitive Rehearsal Mobile Learning Program for Head Nurses: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

This study aimed to (1) develop a version of the cognitive rehearsal program that is suitable for cyberbullying and (2) apply the m-learning method to evaluate its effectiveness among head nurses. This study was conducted in July 2021 and comprised 69 South Korean university hospital head nurses. It was evaluated using a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest and a quasi-experimental design. The program was developed using the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE) step process, consisting of 10 scenarios. Variables with proven reliability were used in the program effect measurement. The differences between the experimental and control groups were examined using an independent t-test (perception) or the Mann-Whitney U test (symptom experience, knowledge, and turnover intention). The program positively affected and improved head nurses' knowledge and perception of workplace cyberbullying; however, it elevated their symptom experience and had no immediate impact on turnover intention. The developed program could be applied as a valuable educational strategy in the nursing field. Head nurses act as intermediaries between individuals and the organization. Therefore, they must respond with in-depth knowledge and perceptions of cyberbullying to fulfill their responsibilities of identifying, mediating, and managing cyberbullying among hospital team members.

The interaction of organizational politics and political skill on employees' exposure to workplace cyberbullying: the conservation of resources theory perspective

PurposeConsidering the detrimental impact of workplace cyberbullying on employees and organizations, it is necessary to understand factors that potentially induce employees to engage in cyberbullying and to recognize personal characteristics that may help employees mitigate its impact. This research applies the conservation of resources (COR) theory to investigate the effect of organizational politics and political skill on employees' exposure to workplace cyberbullying as well as to analyze the subsequent impact on emotional exhaustion. Moreover, the interaction effect of political skill and organizational politics on employees' exposure to workplace cyberbullying is analyzed.Design/methodology/approachThe total of 358 complete questionnaires were obtained from one medium-sized public university in Thailand. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data.FindingsThe analysis supports the positive association between organizational politics and employees' exposure to workplace cyberbullying. Employees' exposure to workplace cyberbullying also has a positive association with emotional exhaustion. On the other hand, the analysis showed that political skill has a negative association with employees' exposure to workplace cyberbullying. The result from the moderating effect analysis further shows that political skill also reduces the impact of organizational politics on employees' exposure to workplace cyberbullying.Originality/valueThe incorporation of the COR theory provides theoretical insight into how political skill of employees can buffer the impact of organizational politics on exposure to workplace cyberbullying. It advances the knowledge found in previous research that lacked solid theory to explain the interaction between organizational politics and political skill of employees in the area of workplace cyberbullying.

When and why workplace cyberbullying influences intention to stay: role of workplace social capital and affective commitment

PurposeCOVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of home-based teleworking globally. Coupled with this, there are rising concerns about workplace cyberbullying. However, less studies have explored workplace cyberbullying in non-western countries. The purpose of the current study is to examine whether workplace cyberbullying affects employees' intention to stay and to find out the mechanisms underlying the relationship.Design/methodology/approachData were collected among Indian home-based teleworkers. Data were analysed using SmartPLS and SPSS-PROCESS macro.FindingsResults show that workplace cyberbullying negatively impacts intention to stay and affective commitment acts as a mediator between this link. The results also reveal that workplace social capital moderates the negative effects of workplace cyberbullying on affective commitment. The results further confirm that workplace social capital moderated the indirect impact of workplace cyberbullying on intention to stay via affective commitment.Practical implicationsThis study highlights the potential of leveraging workplace social capital in order to reduce the negative effects of workplace cyberbullying.Originality/valueThese findings can complement the previous studies on the impact of negative work events on affective commitment and intention to stay as well as extend researchers' understanding of the underlying mechanism between workplace cyberbullying and intention to stay. Furthermore, this research explains how employees can utilise social resources from workplace social capital to mitigate the negative outcomes of workplace cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying at the Workplace and its Impact on Employee Job Performance

Cyberbullying in the workplace considers a very crucial issue in this modern era. Today, many people have neglected this issue as they think cyberbullying in the workplace is a minor issue that can be avoided. Cyberbullying poses a serious threat to the workplace and is associated with feelings of organizational injustice, mental strain, and job discontent. However, if this continues, it may have a negative impact on the people and the organization. A happy employee will perform well in the workplace and increase productivity. The negative consequences of workplace cyberbullying are well-documented. As a result, cyberbullying in the workplace and employee job satisfaction/performance have become very popular research topics, and to ensure that all employees are satisfied. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of workplace cyberbullying acts on employees’ job performance. This study employs descriptive research and survey methodology to investigate the relationship between workplace cyberbullying and employee job performance. Cyberbullying at the workplace acts as the independent variable and employees’ job performance is the dependent variable.

Cyberbullying in the workplace: a novel framework of routine activities and organizational control

PurposeThis study aims to develop a unified theoretical framework that presents a cohesive picture of workplace cyberbullying to better understand the interplay between cyberbullying, its effects on organizations and organizational controls enacted to contain these effects.Design/methodology/approachThe study conducts a theoretical review of the workplace cyberbullying literature between 2005 and 2021 drawing upon existing literature and two important theories, the routine activities theory and control theory. The final sample of 54 empirical papers represents a comprehensive body of literature on cyberbullying published across various disciplines.FindingsA theoretical model of workplace cyberbullying is developed, which highlights major antecedents to workplace cyberbullying and its impact on individual employees as well as organizations.Originality/valueAs firms increasingly rely on information and communication technologies (ICTs), the misuse of ICTs in the form of cyberbullying is also increasing. Workplace cyberbullying severely hurts an organization’s employees and compromises the efficacy of its information systems. Fortunately, various controls can be utilized by firms to minimize workplace cyberbullying and its attendant costs. In all, eleven propositions are offered, providing a robust agenda for future research. The authors also offer insights for practitioners on how to minimize cyberbullying in the workplace and its damaging effects.

A comprehensive study on prevalence of cyberbullying and its impact on youths and adults

The upsurge of cyberbullying is one of the major causes of emotional distress among youths and adults in this rapidly advancing technological era. Over the last decade, our society had a newfound addiction to social media. Despite the pros of social media, its usage has a large spectrum of cons. A recent study in 2021 stated that over 330 million people might potentially suffer Internet addiction by the year 2023. With such alarming numbers, it’s time to realize how it will lead to a sudden elevation in cyberbullying across the globe. Cyberbullying is now an international public health concern among adolescents. Researchers are now more concerned about the mental health and social well-being of people around them. The subject of cyberbullying among tweens, teens, and youths has always been the center of attention, but now there is an advent of a new add-on workplace cyberbullying. There is a need to perform more longitudinal work to understand the effects of cyberbullying and to identify possible prevention and intervention efforts to reduce its impact.