Perceived ability to defend oneself against negative treatment at work: Gender differences and different types of bullying behaviours

A lack of ability to defend oneself against bullyingbehaviour is considered a defining aspect of workplacebullying. The aim of the present study was to investi-gate the effects perceived ability to defend has on expo-sure to bullying behaviour, and whether there aregender differences as well as differences regarding thetype of bullying behaviour one is exposed to. The studyis based on a longitudinal probability sample drawnfrom the whole Swedish workforce. The final samplesize (394 participants, 43% men and 57% women)included only those who responded at both time pointsand who reported exposure to at least one bullyingbehaviour. The results showed that perceived ability todefend oneself only had a protective effect on bullyingbehaviours for male targets exposed to direct types ofbullying behaviours. The study is an important contri-bution to the understanding of workplace bullying as aconcept by showing that the perception of being able toprotect oneself from bullying behaviour, in most cases,has little or no effect on the levels of bullying behav-iour, and thereby on further escalation of the exposure,especially for women. An implication of the results isthat organisations and employers must actively inter-vene in the early stages of the bullying process rather than believing that the targeted worker is able to dealwith or withstand the exposure on their own.publishedVersio

Relationships between work environment factors and workers’ well-being in the maritime industry

Background: The aim of this study was to determine whether physical and psychosocial work factors arerelated to the levels of job satisfaction and intentions to leave in the maritime industry, and to determinewhether there exist cross-cultural differences in work factors, job satisfaction and intentions to leave between European and Filipino crew members.Material and methods: Using a cross-sectional survey design, the variables were assessed in a sampleof 541 seafarers from 2 large Norwegian shipping companies. Work factors included safety perceptions,leadership, job demands, harassment, and team cohesion.Results: The findings show that physical and psychosocial work factors are important correlates of bothintentions to leave and job satisfaction, with safety perceptions, job demands, and team cohesion as thestrongest and most consistent factors. As for cross-cultural differences, the findings show that Europeanand Filipino respondents differ with regard to safety perceptions, laissez-faire leadership, authentic leadership,exposure to harassment, team cohesion, and intentions to leave. No differences were establishedwith regard to overall job satisfaction.Conclusions: The findings support occupational stress models which emphasise the importance of situationalfactors in the understanding of well-being among workers. Shipping companies should thereforealways take these factors into consideration when developing and implementing interventions aimed atimproving employee well-being

Innenfor eller utenfor? En studie av varslingens ettervirkninger blant personer med varslererfaring i og utenfor arbeidslivet

Varsling er når en ansatt sier ifra om kritikkverdige handlinger på arbeidsplassen til noen som er i stand til å gjøre noe med det. Studier gjennomført i rene varslerutvalg finner at andelen av ansatte som opplever negative reaksjoner etter varslingen, er høy. Studier som har benyttet mer tilfeldige utvalg (bekvemmelighets- eller tilfeldig trukne utvalg), finner på den annen side at andelen av ansatte som varsler, i mindre grad utsettes for reaksjoner av negativ art. For å forstå og forklare mer om denne forskjellen undersøker foreliggende studie ikke bare forekomst av negative reaksjoner, men også type av slike reaksjoner og mobbing. Dette gjøres blant varslere som befinner seg innenfor og utenfor arbeidslivet. Studien viser at ansatte som har varslet, og som fortsatt er i jobb, kan oppleve lignende negative reaksjoner som ansatte som har varslet, og som ikke lenger er i jobb, men i mindre grad. Tidligere forsk­ningsresultater, både fra Norge og internasjonalt, har vist at de fleste varslere ikke opplever negative reaksjoner. Basert på resultatene fra denne studien er et mulig oppfølgingsspor for videre forskning å undersøke varslere som ikke lenger er i jobb, og trekke denne gruppen inn i beregning av prevalenstall for represalier etter varsling.publishedVersio

The contribution of office design to the appraisal of job control: A longitudinal study

The appraisal of control over work intensity and decisions at the workplace is a well-established determinant of health and well-being among employees. Building on job design theories, the overarching aim of this study was to determine office layout as a predictor of perceived job control. Specifically, we investigated between-group differences in control by contrasting employees in cellular offices with employees in shared/open offices, as well as effects on control among employees transitioning from one office design to another. This is a longitudinal study with three survey points across 48 months comprising 3,415 Norwegian office employees. Data were analyzed with latent growth curve analyses, adjusted for gender, age, leadership responsibility, and teleworking. Employees in cellular offices reported significantly higher control over work intensity and control over decisions when compared with employees in shared/open workspaces. Transitioning from a shared/open workspace to a cellular office led to a significant increase in perceived control regarding work intensity. As the experience of control may buffer the negative impact of job demands, organizations that rely on shared or open office solutions may benefit from identifying tools that can contribute to enhancing their employees' perceived control.publishedVersio

Dispositional Affect as a Moderator in the Relationship Between Role Conflict and Exposure to Bullying Behaviors

Stressors in the work environment and individual dispositions among targets have been established separately as antecedents and risk factors of workplace bullying. However, few studies have examined these stressors in conjunction in order to determine personal dispositions among targets as possible moderators in the work stressor–bullying relationship. The aim of the present study was to examine multiple types of dispositional affect among targets as potential moderators in the relationship between role conflict and exposure to bullying behaviors, employing two independent cross-sectional samples. The first sample comprised 462 employees from a Norwegian sea transport organization, where trait anger and trait anxiety were included moderators. The second sample was a nationwide probability sample of the Norwegian working population and comprised 1,608 employees randomly drawn from The Norwegian Central Employee Register, where positive and negative affect were included moderators. The results showed that trait anger, trait anxiety, and negative affect strengthened the positive relationship between role conflict and reports of bullying behaviors. Positive affect did not moderate this relationship. We conclude that the association between role conflict and bullying is particularly strong for those scoring high on trait anger, trait anxiety, and negative affect

Dispositional affect as a moderator in the relationship between role conflict and exposure to bullying behaviors

Stressors in the work environment and individual dispositions among targets have been established separately as antecedents and risk factors of workplace bullying. However, few studies have examined these stressors in conjunction in order to determine personal dispositions among targets as possible moderators in the work stressor–bullying relationship. The aim of the present study was to examine multiple types of dispositional affect among targets as potential moderators in the relationship between role conflict and exposure to bullying behaviors, employing two independent cross-sectional samples. The first sample comprised 462 employees from a Norwegian sea transport organization, where trait anger and trait anxiety were included moderators. The second sample was a nationwide probability sample of the Norwegian working population and comprised 1,608 employees randomly drawn from The Norwegian Central Employee Register, where positive and negative affect were included moderators. The results showed that trait anger, trait anxiety, and negative affect strengthened the positive relationship between role conflict and reports of bullying behaviors. Positive affect did not moderate this relationship. We conclude that the association between role conflict and bullying is particularly strong for those scoring high on trait anger, trait anxiety, and negative affect.publishedVersio

Killing two birds with one stone: how intervening when witnessing bullying at the workplace may help both target and the acting observer

Objective This study examines under which conditions being an observer of bullying can be detrimental to health and well-being. It was hypothesized that health-related problems following observations of bullying are determined by (1) whether the observer has been exposed to bullying her/himself and (2) whether the observer have tried to intervene in the bullying situation that they witnessed. Methods The study was based on a longitudinal probability survey of the Swedish workforce, with an 18-month time lag between assessment points (N = 1096). Results Witnessing bullying at work were associated with an increase in subsequent levels of mental distress among the observers, although this association became insignificant when adjusting for the observers’ own exposure to bullying. Intervening against bullying moderated the relationship between observations of bullying and mental health problems. Observers who did not try to intervene reported a significant increase in mental health problems at follow-up, whereas there were no significant changes in levels of mental health problems among those who did intervene. Conclusions the findings suggest that observer interventions against bullying may be highly beneficial for both the targets and observers of bullying. Organizations should therefore invest in ways to increase constructive bystander behavior in negative social situations at the workplace.publishedVersio

Workplace bullying and sleep - A systematic review and meta-analysis of the research literature

This systematic review and meta-analysis 1) clarifies and quantifies existing results on the association between exposure to workplace bullying and sleep, 2) evaluates the methodological quality of existing studies, 3) identifies theoretical frameworks used in research, 4) determines moderating and mediating variables, and 5) provides guidelines for future research. Searches for primary studies were conducted in Pubmed, Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and Web of Science. Of the 406 studies identified, 26 fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the qualitative synthesis whereas sixteen studies were included in the meta-analysis (cross sectional effect sizes: 15; N=69,199/prospective effect sizes: 6; N=26,164). Workplace bullying was significantly related to sleep problems in all studies. Across cross-sectional studies, targets of bullying had 2.31 higher odds of reporting sleep problems compared to non-bullied workers. The odds across the prospective studies was 1.62. The quality of evidence for the association between workplace bullying and sleep problems was low to moderate. Only eight studies had a predefined theoretical rationale for the association, and few studies examined mediating and moderating variables or bidirectional associations. The methodological quality of the studies was moderate. Further research is needed to establish the nature, directionality, mechanisms, and conditions of the association between bullying and sleep.publishedVersio

The 5-HTTLPR rs25531 LALA-genotype increases the risk of insomnia symptoms among shift workers

Background Previous studies indicate that shift work tolerance may be associated with individual factors including genetic variability in the gene encoding the serotonin transporter 5-HTT (SLC6A4). The present study aimed to explore the interaction between work schedule (shift work versus non-shift work), genetic variability in SLC6A4 and insomnia symptoms. Methods The study was based on a national probability sample survey of 987 Norwegian employees drawn from The Norwegian Central Employee Register by Statistics Norway. Insomnia symptoms were assessed by three items reflecting problems with sleep onset, sleep maintenance, and early morning awakenings. Genotyping concerning SLC6A4 (the 5-HTTLPR S versus L and the SNP rs25531 A versus G) was carried out using a combination of gel-electrophoresis and TaqMan assay. Results Using the LALA genotype as a reference a main effect of the SS genotype (B = 0.179; 95% CI = 0.027–0.330) was found. In addition, a main effect of work schedule (0 = non shift, 1 = shift work) was found (B = 0.504; 95% CI = 0.185–0.823). The genotype x work schedule interaction was significant for all genotypes; SLA (B = −0.590; 95% CI = −0.954–0.216), LALG (B = −0.879; 95% CI = −1.342–0.415), SLG (B = −0.705; 95% CI = −1.293–0.117) and SS (B = −0.773; 95% CI = −1.177–0.369) indicating higher insomnia symptom scores among LALA-participants compared to participants with other genotypes when working shifts. Conclusions The ability to cope with shift work is associated with the combination of the SLC6A4 variants 5-HTTLPR and SNP rs25531. Our findings demonstrated that the LALA-genotype increases the risk of insomnia symptoms among shift workers.acceptedVersio