Humiliation at work – theoretical concepts and importance for the health of workers and the functioning of the organisation

Humiliation at work is a dangerous and, at the same time, poorly understood phenomenon. It is associated with an asymmetry of power, which induces in the humiliated person a feeling of having a lesser value and being inferior. It manifests itself as an internal event (judgment and emotions), an external event (an act of violence) or systemic social conditions (poverty and discrimination). Experiencing humiliation has negative consequences both when an individual becomes a subject and a witness of a humiliating event. These consequences concern many areas of an individual's life and functioning within an organization. The article discusses the relationship between humiliation at the organizational level and work pathologies such as mobbing, intimidation, bullying, or harassment. Their purpose and effect is to humiliate an individual or a group of people, and since humiliation is associated with a sense of injustice and a desire for revenge, it often permanently disrupts the relationship between the parties and observers of such behaviors. Despite its individual and social significance, the phenomenon of humiliation is still a gap in the consideration of a healthy working environment and the relationship between people employed in the organization. Unlike in foreign literature, the phenomenon of humiliation is not a frequent subject of consideration in Polish studies, although interest has increased in recent years. The article proposes definitions of this phenomenon from 3 research perspectives, along with presenting selected concepts concerning the nature of this phenomenon and reports from research on the consequences of humiliating behavior at work, from the point of view of both an individual and an organization

Attempt at application of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in the domains of body and structure function and activity and participation in the assessment of the rate of disability in patients with morbid obesity : pilot study

Background. Due to the constant increase in the number of morbidly obese patients, an adequate tool for assessing the functioning and disability of these patients is being sought. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (IC F) could be that tool. Objectives. The aim of this study is to examine the usefulness of the IC F scale in assessing the functioning of morbidly obese patients in two selected areas in reference to recognized scales. Material and methods . The study group included 76 patients with morbid obesity qualified for bariatric treatment. The ICF was applied to assess the function and limitations of each individual. Two domains of the IC F were selected: Body Functions and Structures and Activities and Participation. The usefulness of the IC F was compared to that of the Barthel and EPQ-R scales. Results . In morbidly obese patients, a correlation between motor functions and IC F and BMI, as well as age, was observed. A significant correlation was observed between BMI and psychomotor control, appropriateness and range of emotions experienced, age and amount of sleep, quality of sleep, memory retrieval and psychomotor functions. Women’s mental functions were significantly worse than those of men. In terms of interpersonal relations, a correlation between BMI and regulating behavior within interactions was observed. Conclusions . The IC F is a useful tool for the study and description of the functioning of patients with morbid obesity. The selected domains are described better than by the previously used Barthel scale. Women with morbid obesity tend to have more impaired mental functioning than morbidly obese men