POS & Emotional Dissonance as resource depletion mechanisms in Workplace Bullying and Job Strains

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether person-related bullying, work-related bullying, and physically intimidating bullying predict three forms of job strain: physical exhaustion, work-related depression, and interpersonal counterproductive work behaviour (CWB-P). Design/methodology/approach The study surveyed a wide cross-section of employees across a number of private sector organisations in a small developing country in the Caribbean region. Findings The prevalence rate of workplace bullying in the current Caribbean sample was 54 per cent. The regression results revealed that person-related bullying and work-related were positively related to work-related depression, whereas physically intimidating bullying and work-related bullying were positively related to CWB-P. None of the three forms of bullying predicted physical exhaustion. When the overall workplace bullying composite was used, all three job strains were significantly predicted. Research limitations/implications The study utilised a cross-sectional self-report survey research design which does not permit causal inferences to be made. Common method variance is a possible limitation due to the use of self-report measure but this was ruled out by a Harman’s single factor test. Longitudinal research using a mixture of subjective and objective measures is needed to further investigate these relationships reported here. Practical implications First, social and interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence training and development opportunities should be provided to both managers and employees as a means of developing individuals who are socially aware, interpersonally competent, and emotionally intelligent in their interactions with each other at work. Second, a zero-tolerance approach should be communicated throughout the organisation evidenced by clear and explicit organisational policies against these acts. Third, it would be of good practical value to establish health and safety committees to identify, assess and tackle various psychosocial and other hazards at work (e.g. workplace bullying). Originality/value The study utilised a three-dimensional model of bullying at work (as well as a composite form of bullying) for predicting three forms of job strains among employees in various Caribbean workplaces.

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Job demands, health, and absenteeism: does bullying make things worse?

Employee Relations ◽

10.1108/er-01-2013-0011 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 165-181 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Dwayne Devonish

Keyword(s):

Health Outcomes ◽

Workplace Bullying ◽

Longitudinal Research ◽

Job Demands ◽

Self Report ◽

Interactive Effects ◽

Causal Inferences ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Content Type ◽

Job Strains

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine workplace bullying as a potential moderator (or exacerbator) in the relationship between job demands and physical, mental and behavioral strain. Design/methodology/approach – Survey data from a cross-section of 262 employees were collected using a range of measures and hierarchical moderated regressions were performed to examine the interactive effects of job demands and workplace bullying on physical exhaustion, depression, and medically certified and uncertified absenteeism. Findings – The results revealed that workplace bullying significantly exacerbated the effects of job demands on physical exhaustion, depression, and uncertified absenteeism. Research limitations/implications – The study utilized a cross-sectional self-report survey research design which does not permit causal inferences to be made. Longitudinal research is needed to further investigate these relationships reported here. Practical implications – Managers should seek to minimize workplace bullying as well as excessive job demands to help alleviate the risk of employees developing negative health outcomes. Originality/value – The study investigated how different categories of stressors interact with each other to predict various health outcomes or forms of job strains.

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Customer-Related Social Stressors

Journal of Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1027/1866-5888/a000132 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 165-181 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Sarah Dudenhöffer ◽

Christian Dormann

Keyword(s):

Service Providers ◽

Principal Component ◽

Well Being ◽

Emotional Dissonance ◽

Social Stressors ◽

Data Set ◽

Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

Service Jobs ◽

Single Data

Abstract. The purpose of this study was to replicate the dimensions of the customer-related social stressors (CSS) concept across service jobs, to investigate their consequences for service providers’ well-being, and to examine emotional dissonance as mediator. Data of 20 studies comprising of different service jobs (N = 4,199) were integrated into a single data set and meta-analyzed. Confirmatory factor analyses and explorative principal component analysis confirmed four CSS scales: disproportionate expectations, verbal aggression, ambiguous expectations, disliked customers. These CSS scales were associated with burnout and job satisfaction. Most of the effects were partially mediated by emotional dissonance. Further analyses revealed that differences among jobs exist with regard to the factor solution. However, associations between CSS and outcomes are mainly invariant across service jobs.

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