Chapter

Workplace Bullying and Arab Culture: Evidence from Jordan

Authors:
To read the full-text of this research, you can request a copy directly from the authors.

Abstract

Workplace bullying comprises harmful acts that take place in the course of a person’s employment. Studies have confirmed that the impact of workplace bullying may be damaging for individuals and organizations. To date, the majority of studies of workplace bullying have been carried out in Western countries, located in Australasia, Europe and North America, that have similar value sets to each other. In Arab countries, research into aggressive behaviours in the workplace started in the last decade but there is a dearth of enquiry specifically into workplace bullying. As Arab societies have different value sets to those of Western cultures, it is possible that this different outlook may have an influence on workplace bullying. To provide some insight into an Arab culture, this chapter focuses on Jordan. Studies into workplace bullying in Jordan are few, and these have largely been concentrated in the healthcare sector. Culture has not been studied directly in connection with workplace bullying in Jordan or other Arab countries, so in this exploratory study the possible influence of the honour and shame culture is considered in relation to the workplace and bullying. This chapter uses primary data to indicate the existence and level of workplace bullying, it provides a discussion of the impact of Jordanian culture on its reporting in the workplace, then concludes with recommendations of ways for organizations to improve their processes for identifying and managing negative behaviour in the Arab context.

No full-text available

Request Full-text Paper PDF

To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.

... Parents' attitudes and disciplinary methods are likely to impact how children perceive and react to bullying (Al Muala & Thirlwall, 2021). Parental disciplinary styles in Jordan tend to be more authoritarian, emphasizing obedience and respect for authority (Al-Ali & Shattnawi, 2018). ...
Article
Full-text available
Bullying is a global issue affecting students, with significant consequences. This study examined the impact of a school-based bullying education programme on student knowledge of bullying, bullying behaviour, and self-esteem among Jordanian school students. Using an uncontrolled pre-post design, 210 students from grades 7 and 8 in two Jordanian public schools participated in a four-week intervention programme. Results showed significant improvements in students’ knowledge about bullying and self-esteem and decreased victimization rates. The programme’s effectiveness varied based on factors like GPA and grade level. While overall bullying behaviours did not significantly change, there was a notable interaction effect with students’ medical status. These findings highlight the potential of such interventions in Jordanian schools and emphasize the need for tailored approaches considering various student characteristics.
... Workplace bullying has been studied extensively in the Arab and Jordanian contexts in various sectors, including higher education institutions, to reveal its link to several variables, such as work turnover, organizational climate, job performance and burnout, production efficiency, ethical work climate, leadership, labor relations strategies, and job security (Al Shawabkeh, 2019;Ghoneim, 2020;Aleassa and Megdadi, 2014;Al-Harayza, 2020;Al-Ghabeesh and Qattom, 2019;Al Muala and Thirlwall, 2021;Al-Sarhan, 2020;Damerjian, 2018). However, the harmful consequences of workplace bullying, such as low self-esteem and its negative impact on social capital, remain unexamined. ...
Article
Full-text available
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 cyber-bullying 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.
... In Oman, 87.4% of nurses working in emergency departments reported incidents of violence in the previous 12 months ( Al-Maskari et al., 2020). Similar findings have been reported in Jordan (Alhamad et al., 2021;Al Muala et al., 2021), Iraq (Abualrub & Al-Asmar, 2011), Egypt (Arafa et al., 2021), and Bahrain (Rafeea et al., 2017). ...
Article
Full-text available
The advancement of research and development of effective intervention programs for workplace bullying require high-quality assessment tools. One serious limitation that research on workplace bullying in Arab countries suffers from is the absence of good measures. In this study, we examined the psychometric characteristics of the nine-item Short Negative Acts Questionnaire (S-NAQ) and proposed two cutoff scores using a sample of Omani healthcare workers (N = 256). Exploratory factor analysis identified a one-factor solution that explained 51.77% of the variance in the data (Cronbach’s alpha = .90). Confirmatory factor analysis supported a one-factor solution, with a Cronbach’s alpha of .92. A receiver operator characteristic curve analysis identified two cutoff scores of > 14 and > 21. Based on these two cutoff points, the participants were divided into three groups: no exposure to bullying at work, occasional exposure, and frequent exposure. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that the Arabic S-NAQ is suitable for use in many Arabic-speaking countries. However, because each of these countries has its own dialect, future research is needed to replicate our findings in other Arab countries, as well as in different work settings.
Article
Full-text available
When surveying immigrant populations or ethnic minority groups, it is important for survey researchers to consider that respondents might vary in their level of language proficiency. While survey translations might be offered, they are usually available for a limited number of languages, and even then, non-native speakers may not utilize questionnaires translated into their native language. This article examines the impact of language proficiency among respondents interviewed in English on survey data quality. We use data from Understanding Society: The United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) to examine five indicators of data quality, including "don't know" responding, primacy effects, straightlining in grids, nonresponse to a self-completion survey component, and change in response across survey waves. Respondents were asked whether they are native speakers of English; non-native speakers were subsequently asked to self-rate whether they have any difficulties speaking or reading English. Results suggest that non-native speakers provide lower data quality for four of the five quality indicators we examined. We find that non-native respondents have higher nonres-ponse rates to the self-completion section and are more likely to report change across waves, select the primary response option, and show straightlining response behavior in grids. Furthermore, primacy effects and nonresponse rates to the self-completion section vary by self-rated level of language proficiency. No significant effects were found with regard to "don't know" responding between native and non-native speakers.
Article
Full-text available
Background: Workplace bullying has adverse effects on nurses' productivity and emotional well-being and increases nurses' desire to leave their jobs. Bullying is a common phenomenon that has been reported worldwide. Emergency Department (ED) nurses are particularly exposed to bullying as a result of their job stressors and demands. Purposes: To examine the prevalence of bullying and the impact of preventive measures on productivity among Jordanian ED nurses; and to examine bullying in relation to personal and organizational factors. Methods: We surveyed ED nurses in five hospitals in Amman, Jordan - two government hospitals and three private hospitals. The eligibility criteria for the study, met by 134 persons, were having at least an associate degree and having worked in the ED for at least six months. We used a four-part questionnaire that included demographic data, the Negative Acts Questionnaire, questions on prevention of bullying, and a health and productivity survey. Data analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: A total of 120 ED nurses joined the study, an 89.6% response rate. The majority of participants were male (65%) and their mean age was 29.4 years. Ninety percent of the participants reported being bullied. Nurses with less experience in the ED were exposed to more bullying compared to other nurses. Of nurses who reported being bullied, 61.7% reported associated decreased productivity, including the ability to respond to cognitive demands, provide support, appropriate communication, safe care, and competent care. The overall mean score for the prevention of bullying questionnaire was 94.51 out of 168 (SD = 23.43). Drilling down, the highest mean score was for the "Individual sub-scale", and the highest item mean score was for "I know the process of how to report bullying". Conclusion: Bullying is prevalent among ED nurses in Jordan; it has significantly influenced the nurses' perception of their productivity and the quality of care they provide. Although nurses reported adopting measures to prevent bullying, they were insufficient to address this widespread problem. Implications for nursing and health policy: Bullying is a common occurrence in nursing practice in Jordan, as in other places. It has a detrimental effect on the quality of health care. Accordingly, interventions, which we describe, should be undertaken to minimize the incidence and impact of bullying.
Article
Full-text available
Over the last three decades, the scientific and social interest in workplace bullying has accelerated and our understanding of this pervasive and detrimental social problem has advanced considerably in a relatively short amount of time. Workplace bullying is now a phenomenon of global interest, new topics are steadily emerging within the field, and the methodological quality of the studies has become more sophisticated. Building on findings from the ever increasing number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in this field, the aim of this literature overview was two-folded. In the first part, the aim was to provide a basic overview of what we already know with regard to the nature and content of the bullying phenomenon, its risk-factors and causes, its consequences, and its potential measures and interventions. In the second part, the aim was to address what we do not know and to put forward an agenda for future research within the field. Here, six major knowledge challenges are discussed: a) construct clarification, b) the need for theoretical models, c) causality, d) bullying as a process, e) mediators and moderators, and f) intervention and rehabilitation of victims, perpetrators, and work environments.
Article
Full-text available
Purpose: the purpose was to assess the mental health nurses' perspectives of workplace violence in mental health departments in Jordan. Design and Methods: A cross-sectional correlation study was utilized to address the study’s purposes. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires from nurses working in governmental mental health departments in Jordan. Findings The findings indicated that 80% of the respondents were victims of at least one violent act in the last two years. Verbal abuse was the most indicated type of violence. Patients were considered the main source of violence. Practice implications: policies and legislations addressing workplace violence should be implemented, and nurses should be trained on using such policies. Hospital managers should create safe work environment by enforcing effective security measures and maintaining adequate staffing. Keywords: Workplace; violence, nurses, mental health, hospitals, Jordan.
Article
Full-text available
A cross-sectional study (n = 262) was conducted to assess the prevalence of workplace violence among mental health departments staff in Jordan. The findings showed that 67.2% of the respondents were victims of at least one violent incident in the last year. Verbal abuse was the most reported type of violence. Patients were considered as the main source of violence. The contributing factors to workplace violence include being unmarried and working longer shifts. Sadly, just being a healthcare worker was found to also be a factor in the incidence of increased workplace violence. As a result of these findings, workplace violence policies and legislation should be instituted, and mental health department staff should be trained on violence-management policies.
Article
Full-text available
This study aims to identify the educational demands to reduce students' avoidance of vocational education in Jordan. Results of a previous study addressing reasons for avoidance of vocational education, distributed these reasons into personal, social, economic, educational and vocational domains. Focus-groups method was used to identify the educational demands in order to reduce the effect of these reasons. Five focus-groups studied the domains of the factors and made suggestions, then all groups met collectively to make consensus about the suggestions, to remove repetition, to divide them into domains, and to order the demands according to their importance. Finally, a list of demands on the educational system was made. Some of these demands were short-term while others were long-term demands. These suggestions were in domains of the vocational work sector, the media, higher education, the vocational education sector and the careers education course.
Article
Full-text available
Many nurses have been subjected to violence in the workplace. The purpose of this review is to explore the profundity, aspects, and consequences of workplace violence against nurses by patients and their families. Electronic database searches were conducted for studies of workplace violence in all countries and departments published in the past ten years. The findings showed that most nurses experienced at least one type of workplace violence during their practice, either verbally or physically, but few incidents were reported. The most important reported risk factors of workplace violence were the night shifts and lengthy waiting times by patients and visitors. Workplace violence had impact not only on the quality of care, but also on the nurses’ job satisfaction, leading to significantly increasing turnover of staff. In conclusion, this review focus on the role of managers and decision makers to take in consideration the application of protective and preventive measures to reduce the incidents of workplace violence.
Article
Full-text available
Workplace bullying has increasingly become of interest to scholars and practicing managers due to its creation of dysfunctional intraorganizational conflict and its negative effects on employees and the workplace. Although studies have explored bullying in different cultural contexts, little research exists that provides a comparison of bullying behaviors across cultural dimensions. This article describes a new research agenda that analyzes the impact of specific cultural dimensions— assertiveness, in-group collectivism, and power distance—on organizational bullying. An expanded categorization of bullying prevalence and form is also proposed, with implications for both future research and organizational practice provided. Frameworks for conceptualizing bullying typically include theory and empirical studies that outline traits (of both bullies and their targets) and situations (such as leadership style and organizational factors) that influence the prevalence of organizational bullying. For example, Einarsen et al. (2003: 21) designate a bullying process model that identifies multiple levels of explanatory factors of and reactions/responses to bullying. In fact, they describe bullying as a " multicausal social phenomenon " that includes " cultural and socioeconomical factors. " Unfortunately, while many bullying frameworks identify both micro-and macro-level antecedents of bullying (e.g. Einarsen et al., 2003; Harvey et al., 2009; Moayed et al., 2006), few have attempted to describe, in detail, the vast influence that national culture may have on organizational bullying behaviors. Whether bullying is a function of the individual or the situation has not been fully determined. Personality variables may play an important role in the prediction of bullying (e.g. the " highly aggressive " bully: Matthiesen and Einarsen, 2007; the " authoritarian " personality: Adorno et al.,
Article
Full-text available
Workplace violence against emergency department staff (EDS) is considered one of the most common and widespread phenomena of violence in the hospital setting. The purpose of this research is to determine the incidence of workplace violence and the predictors of violent behavior against EDS working at hospitals in Jordan. A cross-sectional study was used to investigate the workplace violence experiences of a convenience sample of 355 EDS working at 8 government-run and 4 privately run Jordanian hospitals. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire that was developed for this study. Nearly three quarters (72%) of participants reported being exposed to violent acts. Patients and their relatives were identified as the main perpetrators of this violence. The contributing factors to workplace violence identified by the participants included overcrowding, lack of resources, staff shortages, and the absence of effective antiviolence policies. Policies and legislation related to workplace violence should be instituted and developed. Furthermore, EDS should be trained to deal with violent incidents and to understand violence management policies.
Article
Full-text available
This paper reports results from two meta-analyses of the potential individual-level outcomes of exposure to workplace bullying. After introducing a theoretical framework for the possible relationships between bullying and outcomes, Study 1 summarizes 137 cross-sectional effect sizes from 66 independent samples (N=77,721). The findings show that exposure to bullying is associated with both job-related and health- and well-being-related outcomes, such as mental and physical health problems, symptoms of post-traumatic stress, burnout, increased intentions to leave, and reduced job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Non-significant or weak associations were established for absenteeism, performance, self-perceptions, and sleep. Study 2 examines longitudinal relationships between bullying and mental health and absenteeism, respectively. Based on prospective associations from 13 samples (N=62,916), workplace bullying influenced mental health problems over time, while baseline mental health problems were associated with a similar increased risk of subsequent reports of exposure to bullying. The long-term effect of exposure to bullying on absenteeism was rather weak. To summarize, the two meta-analyses provide robust evidence for the detrimental effects of workplace bullying that are in line with the theoretical framework presented. The findings have implications for the development of strategies against bullying. Directions for future research are discussed.
Article
Full-text available
Hospital violence against healthcare providers, especially nurses, is a significant concern in every healthcare setting in the world. To assess the incidence, characteristics and contributing factors of workplace violence committed against nurses in hospital emergency departments in Jordan. A cross-sectional study design was carried out from 1 May to 31 July 2011. The study included the 12 provinces of Jordan by randomly choosing one hospital from each province. A convenient sample of 227 nurses met the inclusion criteria. Chi-square testing and odds ratio were used to analyse the data. The total number of participants was 227. More than three-quarters of the participants (75.8%) were exposed to at least one type of violence. The number of incidents of verbal violence was approximately fivefold that of the number of incidents of physical violence. Among the perpetrators of verbal violence, patients were the primary perpetrators. Large-scale studies investigating the consequences of violence on nursing satisfaction and the quality and quantity of care administered to the community in the healthcare sector are recommended.
Article
Full-text available
Or ga ni za tional cul ture and job sat is faction were ex am-ined across four in dus tries in Jor dan. The sam ple con sisted of 234 man -agers and non-managerial employees. The sam ple was randomly selected. The par tic i pants in di cated that the pre vail ing or ga ni za tional cul ture is power, and that the most de sired cul ture is achieve ment. In ad-di tion, par tic i pants showed high sat is fac tion with their jobs. There was a significant correlation be tween job sat is fac tion and power, role, and achieve ment cul tures.
Article
Full-text available
The aim of this study was to investigate how different measurement methods and sampling techniques contribute to the observed variation in prevalence rates of workplace bullying. A total of 102 prevalence estimates of bullying from 86 independent samples (N=130,973) were accumulated and compared by means of meta-analysis. At an average, the statistically independents samples provided an estimate of 14.6%. Yet, the findings show that methodological moderators influence the estimated rates. As for measurement method, a rate of 11.3% was found for studies investigating self-labelled victimization from bullying based on a given definition of the concept, whereas a rate of 14.8% was found for behavioural measure studies, and 18.1% for self-labelling studies without a given definition. A difference of 8.7% points was found between randomly sampled and non-randomly sampled studies. When controlling for geographical differences, the findings show that geographical factors also influence findings on bullying. Hence, findings from different studies on workplace bullying cannot be compared without taking moderator variables into account.
Article
Full-text available
This study investigates the psychometric properties, factor structure and validity of the revised Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R), an instrument designed to measure exposure to bullying in the workplace. By reanalyzing data based on a heterogeneous sample of 5288 UK employees, the results show that the 22-item instrument has a high internal stability, with three underlying factors: personal bullying, work-related bullying and physically intimidating forms of bullying, although the instrument may also be used as a single factor measure. Criterion validity was explored by relating the scores on the NAQ-R to a single-item measure of perceived victimization from bullying, showing high correlations with both the total NAQ-R and scores on the three factors. Targets of bullying scored significantly higher on all 22 items compared to non-targets. The NAQ-R correlated as expected with measures of mental health, psychosocial work environment and leadership, indicating a good construct validity of the instrument. Furthermore, a latent class cluster (LCC) analysis showed that the instrument may be used to differentiate between groups of employees with different levels of exposure to bullying, ranging from infrequent exposure to incivility at work to severe victimization from bullying and harassment. The more commonly used operational criteria can also be used to detect targets of bullying. Hence, the NAQ-R is proposed as a standardized and valid instrument for the measurement of workplace bullying.
Article
Full-text available
Using meta-analysis, we compare three attitudinal outcomes (i.e., job satisfaction, affective commitment, and turnover intent), three behavioral outcomes (i.e., interpersonal deviance, organizational deviance, and work performance), and four health-related outcomes (i.e., general health, depression, emotional exhaustion, and physical well being) of workplace aggression from three different sources: Supervisors, co-workers, and outsiders. Results from 66 samples show that supervisor aggression has the strongest adverse effects across the attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. Co-worker aggression had stronger effects than outsider aggression on the attitudinal and behavioral outcomes, whereas there was no significant difference between supervisor, co-worker, and outsider aggression for the majority of the health-related outcomes. These results have implications for how workplace aggression is conceptualized and measured, and we propose new research questions that emphasize a multi-foci approach. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Article
Full-text available
Research shows clear links between lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth and deliberate self-harm (DSH), but there is a lack of research investigating the social context of young LGBT people’s lives and helping to explain the higher DSH risk. In this article, we report on a small-scale methodological study intended to test the feasibility of online qualitative interviews for investigating young people, sexual and gender identity, and emotional distress. There are many methodological dilemmas arising from researching such sensitive issues with marginalized groups. The study reported here was designed to examine (a) sampling diversity in terms of sexuality, gender identities, and class; and (b) the type of data produced. We found that a virtual methodology was effective in recruiting young LGBT participants who might otherwise not take part in research. Online interviewing successfully produced in-depth, “immediate” data that potentially gave access to insights that might not emerge through face-to face interviews.
Article
Full-text available
Lack of policies and assertive legislation on workplace violence has placed Jordanian nurses at frequent risk for workplace violence. The purposes of this research were to (a) investigate the level of physical violence and the complaints and responses of Jordanian hospital nurses to such violence and (b) describe workplace policies that deal with violence and recommend policy directions. A descriptive exploratory survey was used to investigate physical workplace violence among a convenience sample of 420 Jordanian nurses. Data were collected by a self-administered questionnaire that was developed in 2003 by the International Labour Organization, International Council of Nurses, World Health Organization, and Public Services International. The findings indicated that 22.5% of the participants were exposed to physical workplace violence. The contributing factors as indicated by the participants were related to the administration, staff, security, patients and families, and the public. Participants who had experienced workplace violence were very dissatisfied with the manner in which the incidents were handled. It is important to investigate consequences of workplace violence on the satisfaction of employees and the quality of heath care service. Instituting appropriate policies and legislation would minimize workplace violence.
Article
Full-text available
The victims of bullying are subjected to being terrorized, annoyed, excluded, belittled, deprived of resources, isolated and prevented from claiming rights. The victims of bullying have decreased job satisfaction, work performance, motivation and productivity. Bullying also negatively affects victims' social relationships inside and outside the institution. This study was conducted as a cross-sectional and descriptive study for the purpose of assessing the workplace, bullying of nurses in Turkey and the effects it has on nursing practices. The sample was composed of 286 nurses, and all of the respondents were female. The research instrument was a questionnaire in five parts. The first section included the participants' demographic information; the other variables were measured in four categories: psychologically violent behaviours, workload, organizational effects and depression. Thirty-seven per cent of the nurses participating in the research had never or almost never encountered workplace bullying behaviour in the last 12 months, 21% of the nurses had been exposed to these behaviours. There were no differences between position and educational level in workplace bullying. Workplace bullying leads to depression, lowered work motivation, decreased ability to concentrate, poor productivity, lack of commitment to work, and poor relationships with patients, managers and colleagues. Workplace bullying is a measurable problem that negatively affects the psychology and performance of the nurses in this study.
Article
Full-text available
Harassment and victimization among male workers were studied in a sample of 460 industrial workers, supervisors and managers within a Norwegian marine engineering industry. The results indicated that aggression and harassment are significant problems in this organizational setting. On a weekly basis, 7% of the men reported being subjected to at least one of the following behaviors from coworkers or supervisors: ridicule and insulting teasing, verbal abuse, rumors and gossips spread about themselves, offending remarks, recurring reminders on blunders, hostility or silence when entering a conversation, or the devaluing of one's effort and work. As many as 22% reported being subjected to one or more of these acts at least monthly. Although such acts and conducts are common and experienced by most organization members now and then, they may significantly impair psychological health and well-being as well as overall job satisfaction when occurring consistently and systematically. Significant correlations were found between exposure to harassment and both job satisfaction and psychological health and well-being. Strong correlations were found between exposure to harassment and dissatisfaction with co-worker interaction.
Chapter
Workplace bullying and harassment has been a growing area of interest worldwide during the last decades. One of the main topics within this area has been establishing the magnitude and incidence of the phenomenon. A wide range of prevalence percentages have been reported in the literature which has opened up a discussion about both the best way to capture and measure these subtle negative acts at work and the factors that may explain the differences in the prevalence rates found in previous studies. Thus, in this chapter, we report the findings from a systematic literature review regarding the prevalence of workplace bullying and harassment across several countries. In doing so, we take into account methodological (i.e. different estimation methods) and contextual issues (i.e. sociocultural factors) that may affect prevalence rates. As was expected, independent of the estimation method used and the country being studied, our results from 97 inquiries, reporting information about 98 samples comprising more than 220,000 workers across the globe, highlight that bullying and harassment at work is a widespread phenomenon that needs attention to develop safer working environments in which work can be performed with dignity. Particularly, our results revealed quite alarming prevalence rates in previously under-represented countries in the literature such as those from South America, Asia–Pacific and Middle Asia regions. Thus, we call for further cross-cultural research to address similarities and differences both in the prevalence rates (i.e. number of workers exposed to bullying and harassment at work) and the nature of the negative acts (i.e. in which form such bullying and harassment behaviours are expressed) in order to find more effective and global solutions.
Chapter
The last two decades have seen a steep increase in the number of studies examining the relationship between workplace bullying and mental health. This comes as no surprise, considering that workplace bullying represents a powerful stressor and a severely traumatic experience that may profoundly shatter people’s assumptions about themselves and the surrounding world. The goal of this chapter is to make an overview of the extant international literature on the relationship between workplace bullying and mental health. After presenting the available meta-analytic findings, the chapter will summarize the most methodologically robust international research investigating the impact of workplace bullying on a diverse array of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, psychological distress, post-traumatic stress disorder and burnout. Studies focusing on the mental health effects of witnessing bullying and examining reverse causation (i.e. the impact of mental health on the exposure to workplace bullying) will be also reviewed. The chapter will then move on to the available research on individual and work-related moderators of the relationship between workplace bullying and mental health. In the concluding section, the main gaps in current knowledge will be summarized, followed by a discussion of the future research directions needed to enhance our understanding of the link between workplace bullying and mental health.
Chapter
The past three to four decades have provided solid evidence that workplace bullying can be a severe stressor that may affect the mental and physiological health as well as the well-being of the targets. Other consequences of workplace bullying remain, however, widely unexplored. The goal of the present chapter is to provide a state-of-the-art overview of the existing international evidence about the different effects of workplace bullying that, reaching beyond reduced individual well-being and poor mental and physiological health, focus on the further consequences for individuals, organizations and society. To this end, the chapter begins by introducing the key theoretical approaches within this field of research, including Leymann’s model of the development of workplace bullying, the transactional theory of stress, the cognitive activation theory of stress (CATS), the stress-as-offence-to-self (SOS) perspective, the structural empowerment theory and the self-determination theory (SDT). After this introduction, the chapter summarizes the existing research investigating the impact of workplace bullying on a diverse array of individual, organizational and societal problems, including sickness absence, job turnover, unemployment and drop-out from a trade, early retirement and disability retirement, quality of care and patient safety in the healthcare sector as well as suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviour. The concluding remarks outline the main gaps in the current knowledge and discuss future research directions that are needed to enrich our understanding of the individual, organizational and societal consequences of workplace bullying. Finally, the limitations of the present chapter are highlighted.
Article
Salwa, who studies languages at the university, wanted to earn some extra money during the semester break. A friend had given her the address of an office that was looking for a part-time secretary. Although she first had some doubts, she eventually applied for the job (with the approval of her parents) because she desperately needed the money. The office was conveniently located in a huge office building between her home and the university, so that she could easily go there by bus, and go to the library after work.
Article
Workplace bullying literature has focused mainly on actions of individual targets of mistreatment, undertaken to address the problem, and on analyses of the effectiveness of responses. Less attention has been paid to the efficacy of state regulation in establishing a climate of prevention as well as redress. We examine the role of the Dutch Working Conditions Act as a means of mitigating workplace bullying from the perspective of legislative intention, processes and outcomes. Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders involved in creating, influencing and implementing the Act are analysed thematically to highlight how contextual, employer and phenomenon-specific factors affect the effectiveness of legislation with regard to workplace bullying. The findings indicate that state involvement, organisational commitment and collective action are all important contributors in reducing workplace bullying, but that even in the context of neoliberalism, the role of the nation-state is of critical importance, notwithstanding initiatives by employers. JEL Codes: J58, J78, J81, M54
Chapter
The last two decades have seen a steep increase in the number of studies examining the relationship between workplace bullying and mental health. This comes as no surprise, considering that workplace bullying represents a powerful stressor and a severely traumatic experience that may profoundly shatter people’s assumptions about themselves and the surrounding world. The goal of this chapter is to make an overview of the extant international literature on the relationship between workplace bullying and mental health. After presenting the available meta-analytic findings, the chapter will summarize the most methodologically robust international research investigating the impact of workplace bullying on a diverse array of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, psychological distress, post-traumatic stress disorder and burnout. Studies focusing on the mental health effects of witnessing bullying and examining reverse causation (i.e. the impact of mental health on the exposure to workplace bullying) will be also reviewed. The chapter will then move on to the available research on individual and work-related moderators of the relationship between workplace bullying and mental health. In the concluding section, the main gaps in current knowledge will be summarized, followed by a discussion of the future research directions needed to enhance our understanding of the link between workplace bullying and mental health.
Article
1 Aim To assess the impact of nursing competences on workplace bullying among registered nurses in Jordanian public hospitals. 2 Background Workplace bullying has serious organizational and health effects on nursing staff. Little is known about the relationship between bullying and nursing competence worldwide. 3 Method A cross‐sectional descriptive study using a quantitative method was adopted for this study. The Negative Act Questionnaire‐Revised (NAQ‐R) and Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) questionnaire were used. A convenience sample of 272 nurses completed the study questionnaires. 4 Results The results revealed that there were negative correlations between all NAQ scales and all NPC scales. The higher scores indicated better degrees of perceived competency, while the lower scores indicated the frequency of bullying reported by nurses. These results suggest that nurses who have more clinical competencies are less likely to experience work‐related bullying. 5 Conclusion The study found that workplace bullying against nursing staff is still a considerable problem in participating Jordanian hospitals. 6 Implications for nursing management To prohibit bullying behavior, nurse administrators have to construct a work environment that demonstrates respect and fairness and which is transmitted through nurses’ communication pathways.
Article
The major purpose of this study is to find out if workplace bullying can be a predictor to the intention to leave at industrial companies in one of the most important industrial estates in Jordan, which is the Alhasan industrial Estate. The study employed the descriptive and analytical methodologies in order to arrive at sufficient answers for its main problem. Primary data of the study came from a questionnaire which was designed for said purpose, and workplace bullying was measured using two sub-scales, namely work-related bullying and person-related bullying. The Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ) of Einarsen et al. (2001) and Einarsen and Raknes (1997) was adopted. With regard to the intention to leave items, researchers utilized the studies of Glambek et al. (2014) and Djurkovic et al. (2008). Questionnaires were distributed to 34 industrial companies. The major findings of this study are as follows: The level of presence of work-related bullying at the industrial organization in Jordan is high, while person-related bullying is medium and workplace bullying predicts only 6.7% of the intention to leave among the respondents of the study.
Article
Background: Nurses can be exposed to aggressive behavior from patients, patient's relatives, colleagues and visitors. Purpose: To determine the prevalence of workplace aggression among Palestinian nurses in the Hebron district and to examine cross-sectional associations between exposure to workplace aggression and the occurrence of psychological distress and job satisfaction. Methods: Of 372 nurses eligible for the study, 343 were included (response rate of 92.2%). The sample comprised 62% females and 38% males. The participants responded to questions about their socio-demographic status, workplace aggression (WHO questionnaires), psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire, GHQ-30), and job satisfaction (Generic Job Satisfaction Scale). Results: Ninety-three (27.1%) of the respondents reported exposure to workplace aggression of any kind. Seventeen (5%) reported exposure to physical aggression, 83 (24.2%) reported exposure to verbal aggression, and 25 (7.3%) reported exposure to bullying. The patients and the patients' relatives were the main sources of physical and verbal aggression, whereas colleagues were the main source of bullying. Males reported a higher prevalence of bullying than females. Younger nurses reported a higher prevalence of exposure to physical aggression, verbal aggression and bullying. Verbal aggression was associated with more psychological distress. Bullying was associated with lower job satisfaction. Conclusions: More than a quarter of the nurses reported that they had been subject to some sort of aggression at the workplace. Verbal aggression was associated with higher psychological distress. Workplace bullying was associated with lower job satisfaction. Increased awareness and preventive measures to address this problem among health care workers are warranted.
Chapter
Depersonalized bullying at work has emerged through empirical research as a concept in its own right, emphasizing the importance of the organizational level of analysis in workplace bullying. Yet, the discovery of this concept was not followed up by any attempts to take it forward. The findings of Studies I and II presented in Chap. 3 along with the limited earlier literature are drawn upon to overcome this lacuna. In delineating the source, visibility, form, aetiology, target orientation, duration, power dynamics and outcomes of depersonalized bullying, the singular nature of the phenomenon is established. In developing a theoretical framework of depersonalized bullying, the available knowledge is integrated to demonstrate the linkages between various stakeholders through antecedents, course and consequences as well as temporality, setting, form and other influences. Gaps that warrant further investigation and points where intervention is required can both be identified. Theorizing on these lines allows for conceptual equivalences between interpersonal and depersonalized bullying at work to be achieved. In suggesting mechanisms for action, apart from legal measures and grading systems, primary prevention includes altering the extra-organizational environment and/or organizational goals and instituting ethical workplaces while secondary and tertiary prevention comprises several types of informal and formal social support within and outside the organization.
Chapter
With the objective of advancing the field of depersonalized bullying at work, two empirical enquiries were undertaken in India. Both studies were rooted in van Manen’s (1998) hermeneutic phenomenology, relied on conversational interviews and included sententious and selective thematic analyses. Study I, looking at targets’ response to depersonalized bullying, explored the experiences of agents working in India’s international-facing call centres. Describing their work environments as oppressive, participants’ narratives highlighted the presence of depersonalized bullying as their superiors resorted to the impersonal and involuntary use of abuse and hostility to realize organizational goals. Participants’ ambivalent reaction to the situation indicated that while they simultaneously valued their professional identity and material returns and rued their oppressive organizational context, they recognized that their gains were limited by but inextricably linked to workplace demands. Participants coped by emphasizing positive aspects of their experiences to reduce their misgivings. Study II, investigating bullies’ response to depersonalized bullying, examined the experiences of managers implementing a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) as part of an organizational change endeavour. Participants whose performance criteria were tied into the successful execution of the VRS reported having no choice but to adopt intimidating and aggressive tactics uniformly across employees as they carried out their task. This engagement with depersonalized bullying precipitated ambivalence in participants. Securing their own position while making others give up theirs through harsh and forceful measures that departed from the earlier congenial organizational culture unleashed professional and personal dilemmas in participants. Nonetheless, being able to contribute to organizational continuity assuaged their discomfort to some extent.
Chapter
Enam Al-Wer is a Teaching Fellow in Linguistics in the Department of Language and Linguistics at the University of Essex. Her specialist areas of research are linguistic variation and change, and contact linguistics, with focus on modern Arabic dialects, and she has a number of published articles on these themes. She is currently conducting research on the emerging dialect of Amman. She is the author of the forthcoming titles Linguistic variation in Jordanian Arabic (Routledge Curzon) and Understanding sociolinguistics (Arnold).
Article
Workplace bullying is defined as the repetitive and systematic engagement of interpersonally abusive behaviors that negatively affect both the targeted individual and the work organization. According to the findings of 12 studies, being bullied in the workplace affects approximately 11 percent of workers. Victims are frequently blue-collar and unskilled workers. However, there also appear to be gender and milieu/management factors. Emotional/psychological consequences of workplace bullying may include increased mental distress, sleep disturbances, fatigue in women and lack of vigor in men, depression and anxiety, adjustment disorders, and even work-related suicide. Medical consequences of workplace bullying may include an increase in health complaints such as neck pain, musculoskeletal complaints, acute pain, fibromyalgia, and cardiovascular symptoms. Finally, socioeconomic consequences of workplace bullying may include absenteeism due to sick days and unemployment. Clinicians in both mental health and primary care settings need to be alert to the associations between bullying in the workplace and these potential negative consequences, as patients may not disclose workplace maltreatment due to embarrassment or fears of retribution.
Article
Violence against nurses in emergency departments (EDs) has become a widespread phenomenon affecting nurses' job satisfaction and work performance. Literature is scarce regarding prevalence rates and causes of violence directed toward nurses in Jordan. The present study investigated violence experienced by Jordanian nurses in EDs and causes of violence from their perspectives. This descriptive study collected data from 174 Jordanian ED nurses. The majority of the participants (91.4%) reported experiencing violence (verbal 95.3% vs. physical 23.3%). According to participants, the most common causes of violence in the ED were crowding and workload (75.9%), and the least was care of patients with dementia or Alzheimer's disease (35.6%). Violence is common in Jordanian EDs, giving rise to many heath and behavioral consequences. Health care administrators are obligated to protect nurses from violent incidents by providing adequate safety measures, beneficial administrative procedures, and sincere efforts to overcome the causes of this phenomenon. © 2015 The Author(s).
Article
This paper explores empirical data from human resources practitioners and employees to define the ways in which organisations respond to complaints about workplace bullying in New Zealand. Despite recommendations that organisations take workplace bullying seriously and increasing research in recent years, little evidence exists of improvements in the management of this problem. Indeed, this study adds to the gloom by providing an account of the ways in which a group of organisations failed to take responsibility for the welfare of their employees and members. A selection of disappointing responses to requests for help, and some possible explanations for these responses, is presented. Crucially, a set of terms for identifying organisational inaction towards full resolution of workplace bullying is introduced, resolving some aspects of denotative hesitancy in this area. Defining the approaches that hinder resolution of workplace bullying may contribute to its reduction.
Article
AimsTo explore the prevalence of physical and verbal workplace violence among nurses working in general hospitals in Jordan, and to investigate the relation between physical violence, verbal violence, anxiety about violence, and some certain demographic variables.Background Violence against nurses at the workplace is an alarming problem in both developed and developing countries. This study explicates physical and psychological workplace violence and its relation to anxiety about violence at workplace and to some demographic variables.MethodsA cross-sectional correlational study was conducted on a convenience sample of nurses working in general hospitals in Jordan.ResultsA total of 468 nurses completed the questionnaire, 52.8% of the participants reported that they were physically attacked, and 67.8% were verbally attacked in the last 12 months. Of those who were physically attacked, 26.5% reported a physical violence with a weapon. The logistic regression analysis revealed that female nurses were 0.5 times less likely to report being physically attacked and were 1.5 times more likely to report being verbally abused than male nurses.DiscussionViolence against nurses is highly prevalent in Jordan. More than half of the participants were victims of violence at their workplace during the last year. Verbal abuse was more common among females than males.Nursing ImplicationsNurses are in the frontline of the healthcare system and their safety is a high priority. They need to be involved in the development and formulation of workplace violence policy decisions.Conclusions Physical and verbal workplace violence in Jordan, like other countries, is a dangerous behavior that negatively affects general hospital nurses.
Article
Given the pioneering role of Scandinavian research in the field of bullying at work, it is surprising that Danish researchers have largely ignored this problem. Presumably, this has led to a situation where many Danish company managers and unions ignore the high individual and organizational costs of workplace bullying. An additional effect of this lack of research is that it has been difficult to estimate the extent to which the prevalence of bullying varies in different sectors of Danish work-life. Furthermore, the scarcity of research has impeded us from determining whether a low prevalence of bullying is a general characteristic of Scandinavian work-life as indicated by previous Swedish and Norwegian studies. Yet again, making such between-nations comparisons in the prevalence of workplace bullying is difficult given the tendency amongst researchers to employ different ways of measuring bullying. The aims of the present study were: (1) to assess the prevalence of bullying in Danish work-life; (2) to investigate if exposure to bullying behaviours at work is related to self-reported psychological and psychosomatic stress symptoms; (3) to examine potential differences in the prevalence of bullying in various work sectors; (4) to explore the hypothesis that, generally, Scandinavian work-life is characterized by low levels of bullying; and (5) to investigate the extent to which using different criteria for assessing bullying results in disparate prevalence estimates. Results showed that 2-4% of the respondents reported being victims of bullying, in most cases only occasionally. Compared to self-reported bullying, prevalence levels based on an operational definition of bullying (i.e., weekly exposure to one act for at least 6 months) were higher in all the samples, between 8% and 25%. When using a more strict criterion of two acts a week, these figures were significantly reduced. Exposure to bullying was found to be associated with increased self-reported strain reactions.
Article
The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of ‘negative behaviours’ and ‘bullying’ in the workplace on the health and well-being of employees, to what extent the effects remain beyond the period of the experience as well as the extent to which they affect third-parties or witnesses. The paper also raises the question whether some behaviours associated with bullying may be more damaging than others. Potential sex differences and differences between occupational contexts are considered. To achieve these aims, a national cross-sectional study (N=5,388) was carried out. In absolute terms those who labelled their experience as bullying had substantially worse health than those who were not bullied. However, counter to what was expected, stronger associations were found between negative behaviour and adverse health effects than for self-reported (self-labelled) bullying and health. Previous targets as well as witnesses also reported worse health than those who were neither bullied nor had witnessed bullying. The findings also imply that some negative behaviours were more difficult to deal with than others. In all cases differences between the sexes and between occupational contexts emerged.
Article
The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between mobbing at work and the well-being of the affected person, and to explore possible organizational effects of mobbing in connection with coping behaviour. The article reports data from two studies carried out in Austria (368 health professionals) and Germany (10 in-patients) between 1993 and 1994. The results support other findings that mobbing has a negative impact on the well-being of the affected person. Moreover, the results indicate that employees do not cope with mobbing by using simple flight or fight reactions (e.g. absenteeism, lower level of productivity). The results suggest that it should be possible to identify mobbing in an early stage, which, in turn, should enhance the prevention of mobbing.
Article
Previous research strongly indicates that the perpetrators of workplace bullying in Britain are mainly managers. Contrary to the predominant view in workplace bullying literature and despite cost implications for employers, this article proposes an agenda for future empirical research focused on whether employers may also benefit significantly from bullying. It outlines a definition of workplace bullying, key debates and prescriptions suggested in previously published literature for management to contest and prevent it. When bullying is perceived in terms of managerial control of labour and the core concepts of the labour process - an approach not previously embraced in the established psychological and social psychological analyses of the issue - bullying is better understood as an endemic feature of the capitalist employment relationship. Existing secondary material and future research possibilities are then explored and discussed, with some conclusions that are aimed to take the research in this field in new directions.
Article
In Jordan, a woman is often murdered by members of her own family if she is found to have tainted the family's honor in any way. Refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being seen alone with a male stranger or even wearing makeup have all been cited as incidents that shame the family and result in what are called "honor killings". These honor killings have continued to plague Jordan, and other countries in the Middle East, well into the 21st century, despite the country's progress towards modernization. The dominance of the patriarchal family and the inability of the country to experience economic growth are strong contributors to the perpetuation of these horrible crimes in a country that is considered to be relatively modern in this day and age.