Episode 003 - What are the antecedents and causes of workplace bullying?
In this 3rd episode of the series on workplace bullying, I will share with you what are the antecedents and causes of workplace bullying. Researchers believe that both individual and organisational factors are antecedents of workplace bullying. For organisational factors, they include leadership behaviours, work design and compensation practices. For individual factors, personality traits and sexual orientation can lead to individuals being bullied at work.
There is a need for organisations to take an active role in the prevention of workplace bullying. They should not adopt a wait and see approach instead they need to re-evaluate their own policies and practices that perpetuate workplace bullying.
Individuals in the workplace can be bullied for almost anything such as physical outlook, the way they speak or sound and their sexual orientation. Creating awareness is a start to make workplace bullying an important issue to be discussed in the workplace.
Some of the references mentioned in this podcast are as follow:
Björkqvist, K., Österman, K., & Hjelt-Bäck, M. (1994). Aggression among university employees. Aggressive Behavior, 20, 173–184.
Bowling, N. A., & Beehr, T. A. (2006). Workplace harassment from the victim’s perspective: a theoretical model and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91:998–1012.
Coyne, I., Seigne, E., & Randall, P. (2000). Predicting workplace victim status from personality. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 9(3),335-349.
Individuals in the workplace can be bullied for almost anything such as physical outlook, the way they speak or sound and their sexual orientation. Creating awareness is a start to make workplace bullying an important issue to be discussed in the workplace.
Some of the references mentioned in this podcast are as follow:
Björkqvist, K., Österman, K., & Hjelt-Bäck, M. (1994). Aggression among university employees. Aggressive Behavior, 20, 173–184.
Bowling, N. A., & Beehr, T. A. (2006). Workplace harassment from the victim’s perspective: a theoretical model and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91:998–1012.
Coyne, I., Seigne, E., & Randall, P. (2000). Predicting workplace victim status from personality. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 9(3),335-349.
Einarsen, S. (1999). The nature and causes of bullying at work. International Journal of Manpower, 20, 16-27.
Einarsen, S., Raknes, B.I., & Matthiesen, S.B. (1994). Bullying and harassment at work and its relationship with work environment quality: An exploratory study. The European Work and Organizational Psychologist, 4, 381–401.
Harvey, S., & Keashly, L. (2003). Predicting the risk for aggression in the workplace: risk factors, self-esteem and time at work. Social Behavior & Personality, 31:807–14.
Hoel, H., Lewis, D., & Einarsdottir, A. (2014). The ups and downs of LGBs workplace experiences: discrimination, bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay and bisexual employees in Britain. Manchester: Manchester Business School.
Lee, R., & Brotheridge, C. (2006). When prey turns predatory: workplace bullying as a predictor of counter aggression/ bullying, coping, and wellbeing. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 15:352–77.
Leymann, H. (1993). Mobbing- psychoterror am Arbeitspaltz und wie man sich dagegen wehren kann (Mobbing – psychoterror in the workplace and how one can defend oneself). Reinbeck: Rowohlt.
Leymann, H. (1996). The content and development of mobbing at work. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5, 165–184.
Liefooghe, A.P.D., & Mackenzie-Davey, K. (2001). ‘Accounts of Workplace Bullying: The Role of the Organization,’ European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 10, 375–392.
Matthiesen, S. B., & Einarsen, S. (2001). MMPI-2 configurations among victims of bullying at work. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 10:467–84.
Samnani, A., & Singh, P. (2014). Performance-enhancing compensation practices and employee productivity : The role of workplace bullying. Human Resource Management Review, 24, 5-16.
Seligman, M. E. P. (1972). "Learned helplessness". Annual Review of Medicine. 23 (1): 407–412.
Zapf, D., & Gross, C. (2001). Conflict escalation and coping with workplace bullying: a replication and extension. European Journal of Work & Organizational Psychology, 10:497–522.
Case Laws
Majrowski v Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Trust [2006], UKHL, 34
Harvest Press Ltd v McCaffrey [1999] IRLR 778
Bickerstaff v Butcher NIIT/92/14
Bickerstaff v Butcher NIIT/92/14
