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Harassment and Bullying from the Prospect of CSR: Impact on the Welfare Perceived by Employees
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The article analyses a topic of harassment and bullying in employees’ interrelationship at the enterprises that strive for the status of corporate social responsibility or are socially responsible. Empirical research assesses criteria of employees’ communication, isolation, reputation, demography, employees’ attitudes, experienced harm, employees’ feeling and intentions in regard to organization. This article presents only the research results that reflect the areas that require especially big attention. In the level of interrelationship, there remains a topical problem of psychological violence that negatively affects employees’ health, work quality. Standardization of processes weakens managers’ empathy to human relationship and their directional development in striving for favourable psychological climate at workplaces, and, in management, there is a focus into the use of power available. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) includes issues of enterprises’ sustainability, environmental and employees’ welfare, in the extent of which there are analysed employees’ physical feeling and psychological states, impact of organizational climate on employees trust in enterprise’s policy and employees’ involvement into implementation of CSR initiatives. Involvement of organizations to tackling of social problems increases employees’ productivity and decreases the cases of harassment, by affecting organization’s general financial results at the same time.
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... The organisation's emotional environment, climate can explain the employee's intention to leave or stay (Shim, 2010;Vivilaki et al., 2019;Lan et al., 2019). Studies show that negative relationships negatively affect employees' emotional and physical state (Vveinhardt et al., 2018;Lever et al., 2019), emotional commitment to the organization (Lopez-Cabarcos et al., 2016), and promote the intention to leave (Berthelsen et al., 2011;Laschinger & Fida, 2014;Hollis, 2015;Hsieh et al., 2019). Meanwhile, implementation of employee welfare tasks under CSR has a positive effect on employees' emotional state due to reduced mobbing (Vveinhardt et al., 2018). ...
... Studies show that negative relationships negatively affect employees' emotional and physical state (Vveinhardt et al., 2018;Lever et al., 2019), emotional commitment to the organization (Lopez-Cabarcos et al., 2016), and promote the intention to leave (Berthelsen et al., 2011;Laschinger & Fida, 2014;Hollis, 2015;Hsieh et al., 2019). Meanwhile, implementation of employee welfare tasks under CSR has a positive effect on employees' emotional state due to reduced mobbing (Vveinhardt et al., 2018). A study conducted by Vveinhardt et al. (2018) in Lithuania shows that employees of CSR-oriented companies feel better and are less inclined to leave the organization compared to companies that pay less attention to social responsibility. ...
... Meanwhile, implementation of employee welfare tasks under CSR has a positive effect on employees' emotional state due to reduced mobbing (Vveinhardt et al., 2018). A study conducted by Vveinhardt et al. (2018) in Lithuania shows that employees of CSR-oriented companies feel better and are less inclined to leave the organization compared to companies that pay less attention to social responsibility. That's why one can state on the direct or indirect benefit of being socially responsible to the enterprises (Gkorezis & Petridou, 2017). ...
Research background: In spite of abundant evidence that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributes to improving the emotional state of employees as stakeholders and can serve as a useful tool for reduction of their turnover in organizations, until now, it remains unclear how the different status of CSR is related to consequences accompanying mobbing.
Purpose of the article: This study compares the emotional state and intentions of Polish and Lithuanian organizations? employees who have experienced mobbing with regard to the status of CSR. The paper presents part of the results of a wider study conducted in two neighbouring states, which are exclusively related to the employees? emotional state and employee intentions after experiencing mobbing in the workplace.
Methods: The research sample involved 823 respondents employed in Lithuania and Poland. The questionnaire survey was conducted using the questionnaire ?Mobbing as a Psychosocial Stressor in the Organizations Accessing and Implementing Corporate Social Responsibility ? MOB-CSR?. Comparisons are made with regard to and CSR and relate to Lithuania (LT) and Poland (PL), when organisations are divided into three groups: (I) Is CSR; (II) Seeks to be-come CSR and (III) Does not seek to become CSR. Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis H test were used as the research methods.
Findings & Value added: CSR is related to employees? better emotional state and lesser intentions to leave the organisation, but the study revealed unexpected results showing that according to certain parameters, the situation in the organisations seeking CSR was better than in those already declaring this status (e.g. the feeling of hopelessness, reluctance to seek better results, etc.). It is discussed why the results between countries that have similar historical experience and are culturally close differ. The conclusions emphasize the necessity for practitioners and researchers to evaluate the impact of change on employees? emotional state and intentions at different stages of CSR implementation more carefully. Besides, the results revealed a significant impact of the different status of enterprises with regard to CSR on employees? emotional state and intentions to stay in the job. This article contributes to the literature analysing organizational management by filling gaps in empirical research on CSR, mobbing, employees? emotional state and intentions in different cultures.
... For example, R. Kazlauskaitė and I. Bučiūnienė (2010: 2018) have shown that almost half of all companies had instituted some policies of social responsibility, but only a few of them took action that was not prescribed by law. Other research (Vveinhardt et al. 2018) has shown that companies, that declared social responsibility, in reality have a poor record of dealing with psychological violence in the workplace, with managers lacking empathy and exercising their functions from the position of power. ...
This article asks what philosophers can learn from social research in order to develop the notion of reification further. At first, we present a theoretical analysis of the concept of reification. Then we survey the main research into employment and management strategies through various sectors (industry, services and knowledge work) asking to what extent this research is informed by the notion of reification. The last part of the article focuses on Lithuanian research. We conclude that while the notion of reification is not often employed in contemporary social research, much of that research is close to the normative concerns implicit in the notion of reification. This research then provides a valuable input for further philosophical development of the theory of reification.
... Nach Leymann [24] müssen die beschriebenen Handlungen mindestens einmal pro Woche und mindestens über einen Zeitraum von sich viele Organisationen mit dem Thema CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). Es konnte in Studien gezeigt werden, dass dieser Ansatz einen wertvollen Beitrag zur Verbesserung von Teamklima und Zusammenarbeit leisten kann [33]. ...
Background
The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the depressive symptoms of the bullied respondents differed according to who the perpetrator was. Methods
We used cross-sectional questionnaire data from two representative cohorts: the Danish Working Environment Cohort Study (DWECS 2010) and the Work and Health Study (WH 2012). After excluding respondents not having a leader, or being self-employed, assisting spouses, and those reporting multiple perpetrators in WH 2012, the statistical analysis included 2478 bullied individuals. We compared respondents reporting being bullied by their (1) leader, (2) subordinates, (3) clients / customers / patients / students, or (4) colleagues, respectively. The occurrence of depressive symptoms was measured by the Major Depression Inventory (MDI). ResultsThe most frequent perpetrator of bullying was clients (41.5 %) in DWECS 2010 and colleagues (60.3 %) in WH 2012. In DWECS 2010, the MDI score of those being bullied by clients were significantly lower than the MDI scores of the other groups. In WH 2012, respondents who reported bullying from leaders had a significantly higher mean MDI score than participants being bullied by colleagues. Also in WH 2012, our results indicated that those who were bullied by leaders had a higher MDI score than those bullied by clients, although this difference was not statistically significant at conventional levels. Conclusion
Our findings indicated a similar pattern in the two cohorts, with a tendency of more severe depressive symptoms among employees who are exposed to bullying by their leaders, and the least severe symptoms among those who are bullied by clients.
Businesses have many opportunities to foster sustainable peace. To illustrate the possibilities and limits of businesses reducing violence, we describe the case of ABN AMRO in Brazil and its social program in Novo Lino, one of the poorest municipalities in the country characterized by high levels of violence toward children. With ABN AMRO's support, Novo Lino was able to significantly improve the living conditions of abused children assisted by the social project and raise awareness of children's rights protection. However, despite the corporation's efforts, the project ended after ABN AMRO withdrew its financial support. This case study intends to stimulate discussion on the roles and possibilities of corporations in the social context of extreme poverty. We conclude that businesses need to adopt an integrated approach that simultaneously addresses the several factors related to extreme deprivation and reduces the likelihood of violence in situations of extreme poverty.
This article explores bullying behaviours in nursing in the UK and other countries, why bullying happens, and suggests actions to prevent or combat it. Bullying involves intentional and repeated psychological violence, humiliating and isolating staff from colleagues. Current literature reports that 20-25% of nursing staff experience bullying behaviour. The main perpetrators are nurses in a senior position to those being bullied and colleagues who are established staff members. Those likely to be bullied are students and new staff members. Bullying can cause distress and depression, with up to 25% of those bullied leaving their jobs or the profession, and have an impact on patient care. Factors contributing to bullying are hierarchical management and employees not feeling empowered. Silence and inaction by managers and colleagues allows this behaviour to continue. A zero-tolerance policy and the addressing of this behaviour clearly and promptly by managers should be instigated. Staff being bullied should be supported by colleagues.
The experience of office bullying appears to be commonplace, with approximately thirty-five percent of the workforce reporting psychological and/or physical abuse (Workplace Bullying Institute [WBI], 2011). Websites, public forums, and media scrutiny have made bullying an everyday topic. Correspondingly, there has been renewed attention in academic studies on this increasing form of interpersonal violence. Much of bullying research has focused on: (1) a description of the phenomenon and its widespread impact; (2) perpetrator and target characteristics; (3) outcomes such as stress and somatic complaints; and (4) the aftermath on firms (Namie, 2003; Rayner and Hoel, 1997; Salin, 2003). Untangling the causes and consequences of adult bullying can be complex because according to Rayner and Hoel (1997: 188): "The breadth of the phenomenon encompasses many different forms of behavior.
Background:
As a category of bullying, mobbing is a form of violence in the workplace that damages the employing organization as well as the targeted employee. In Europe, the overall prevalence of mobbing in healthcare is estimated at 4%. However, few studies have explored mobbing among long-term care workers.
Objectives:
This study aims to examine the frequency of mobbing in Swiss nursing homes and its relationships with care workers' (i.e. registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, assistant nurse, nurse aide) health status, job satisfaction, and intention to leave, and to explore the work environment as a contributing factor to mobbing.
Design:
A cross-sectional, multi-center sub-study of the Swiss Nursing Homes Human Resource Project (SHURP).
Setting:
Nursing homes in Switzerland's three language regions.
Participants:
A total of 162 randomly selected nursing homes with 20 or more beds, including 5311 care workers with various educational levels.
Method:
Controlling for facility and care worker characteristics, generalized estimation equations were used to assess the relationships between mobbing and care workers' health status, job satisfaction, and intention to leave as well as the association of work environment factors with mobbing.
Results:
In Swiss nursing homes, 4.6% of surveyed care workers (n=242) reported mobbing experiences in the last 6 months. Compared to untargeted persons, those directly affected by mobbing had higher odds of health complaints (Odds Ratios (OR): 7.81, 95% CI 5.56-10.96) and intention to leave (OR: 5.12, 95% CI 3.81-6.88), and lower odds of high job satisfaction (OR: 0.19, 95% CI 0.14-0.26). Odds of mobbing occurrences increased with declining teamwork and safety climate (OR: 0.41, 95% CI 0.30-0.58), less supportive leadership (OR: 0.42, 95% CI 0.30-0.58), and higher perceived inadequacy of staffing resources (OR: 0.66, 95% CI 0.48-0.92).
Conclusions:
Mobbing experiences in Swiss nursing homes are relatively rare. Alongside teamwork and safety climate, risk factors are strongly associated with superiors' leadership skills. Targeted training is necessary to sensitize managers to mobbing's indicators, effects and potential influencing factors.
Bullying in workplaces is a problem thought to harm individual productivity. This paper investigates whether being exposed to bullying in the workplace increases long-term sickness absence. We analyze employees from a selection of workplaces from The Bullying Cohort Study conducted in Denmark in 2006. The Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised was used to avoid bias related to self-labeling as being bullied. We account for important confounders, such as historical information on sickness absence and mental health, obtained through rich registry data. Our results show that gender does not significantly explain exposure to bullying and that exposure to bullying is associated with negative immediate self-reported health for both genders. We also find, however, that only bullied females have higher, persistent increases in long-term sickness absence and adverse long-term health. This suggests that men and women have different coping strategies. We investigate plausible explanations for this and find that the differences cannot be explained by, for example, turnover or lack of employment. Although insignificant, our results nonetheless indicate that men are twice as likely to leave the labor force immediately after exposure to bullying.
Both work- and person-related factors may trigger workplace bullying. Work-related factors, such as role stressors, can create a stressful work environment leading to bullying. Additionally, person-related factors, such as emotion-focused coping, could make employees more vulnerable to bullying. In this study, we aimed to develop a comprehensive model integrating these factors. We systematically reviewed studies published between 1984 and 2014. First, we identified the most relevant work-related stressors (role conflict, workload, role ambiguity, job insecurity and cognitive demands) as predictors of being a target of workplace bullying. Second, problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies that may moderate the association between stressors and targets of bullying were identified. Third, coping resources that are associated with coping strategies were indicated. Results suggested a model in which reappraisal coping, confrontive coping, practical coping, direct coping, active coping, social support (problem-focused coping) and self-care (emotion-focused coping) decrease the association between work stressors and bullying (i.e. buffer-effect). Wishful thinking, emotional coping, avoidance, recreation, social support and suppression (emotion-focused coping) increase this association (i.e. boost-effect). Coping resources (locus of control, self-efficacy, optimism, co-workers support, supervisor support, task complexity, participation in decision-making, autonomy and continuance commitment) related positively to problem-focused coping strategies and negatively to emotion-focused coping strategies.
This paper adopts the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model to analyze workplace bullying among teachers. The data used for this research are obtained from the 5th European Working Conditions Survey. Given the objective of this work, a subsample of 261 education employees is collected: 48.7% of these teachers report having experienced workplace bullying (N = 127), while 51.3% indicate not considering themselves as bullied at work (N = 134). In order to test the research model and hypotheses, this study relies on the use of partial least squares (PLS-SEM), a variance-based structural equation modeling method. The study describes a workplace bullying prevalence rate of 4.4% among education employees. This work summarizes an array of outcomes with the aim of proposing, in general, that workplace bullying may be reduced by limiting job demands and increasing job resources. Copyright (C) 2016 by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
When company executives take a stand on social issues, the repercussions can be significant. Not only does the company run the risk of alienating employees, but taking a stand on a controversial issue can impact the company's image and ultimately consumer purchasing behaviors. However, research on corporate social responsibility generally supports the notion that when companies get involved in societal issues, it can positively influence bottom-line financial performance. This article evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of taking a corporate stand on sensitive social issues and suggests guidelines that leaders should consider to increase the probability of success. Specifically, we found that oftentimes it is not the stand a leader takes but rather how that leader takes that stand. Moreover, we encourage business leaders to consider the delicate balance between fiduciary responsibility and social activism, to use a strategic approach, and to understand the legal repercussions before taking a stand on a social issue.