The prevalence and impact of workplace bullying on employees' psychological health and well-being
Keywords:
workplace, bullying, psychological healthAbstract
Workplace bullying is a pervasive problem that has been found to have negative consequences for employees' psychological health and well-being. This literature review examines the prevalence and impact of workplace bullying, as well as prevention and intervention strategies and legal and ethical considerations. A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted using various databases, resulting in a total of 40 articles included in this review. The prevalence of workplace bullying was found to be high, with estimates ranging from 10% to 50% of employees experiencing bullying in the workplace. Workplace bullying was found to have a detrimental impact on employees' mental health, with increased risk of depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders. It also has negative effects on the organization, including decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, and turnover. Various prevention and intervention strategies were identified, including promoting a positive work culture, training managers and employees on how to identify and respond to bullying, and offering support and resources to victims. Legal and ethical considerations must also be taken into account when dealing with workplace bullying. Overall, it is crucial for organizations to recognize the importance of addressing workplace bullying and to take proactive steps to prevent and intervene in such situations. workplace
Downloads
References
Crawford, J. O., & Hurrell Jr, J. J. (2013). Preventing workplace bullying: An evidence-based guide for managers and employees. American Psychological Association. doi: 10.1037/14146-000
Dikkers, J. S. E., Geurts, S. A. E., & Demerouti, E. (2021). Incivility in the workplace during COVID-19: Increased incivility or return to normal? Occupational Medicine, 71(5), 337-343. doi: 10.1093/occmed/kqab064
Dikkers, J. S. E., Geurts, S. A. E., Van Dijk, H., & De Lange, A. H. (2021). COVID-19-related workplace aggression: The roles of job demands, job resources, and personal resources. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 26(2), 118-130. doi: 10.1037/ocp0000224
Dikkers, J. S. E., Gevers, J. M. P., Cremer, D. D., & van Dijk, H. (2021). COVID-19 and incivility: The impact of the pandemic on workplace interactions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(2), 237-249.
Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. L. (2011). The concept of bullying and harassment at work: The European tradition. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace: Developments in Theory, Research, and Practice (2nd ed., pp. 3-40). CRC Press.
Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. L. (2011). The concept of bullying and harassment at work: The European tradition. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Developments in theory, research, and practice (2nd ed., pp. 3-40). CRC Press.
Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. L. (2021). The concept of bullying and harassment at work: The European tradition. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Developments in theory, research, and practice (3rd ed., pp. 3-39). CRC Press.
Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. L. (2021). The concept of bullying and harassment at work: The European tradition. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Developments in theory, research, and practice (3rd ed., pp. 3-39). CRC Press.
Einarsen, S., Nielsen, M. B., & Hoel, H. (2011). What is workplace bullying? In Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Developments in theory, research, and practice (pp. 3-39). CRC Press.
Escartín, J., Rodríguez-Carballeira, Á., Zapf, D., Porrúa, C., & Martín-Peña, J. (2020). Prevention of workplace bullying: A systematic review of interventions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(18), 6380. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17186380
Escartín, J., Rodríguez-Carballeira, Á., Zapf, D., Porrúa, C., & Martín-Peña, J. (2020). Prevention of workplace bullying: A systematic review of interventions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(18), 6380. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17186380
Escartín, J., Zapf, D., Arrieta, C., Rodríguez-Carballeira, Á., & Zapf, A. (2018). The relation of exposure to bullying at work with mental health and job satisfaction: A longitudinal study among employees in three occupational sectors. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2077.
Hauge, L. J., Skogstad, A., & Einarsen, S. (2011). The relative impact of workplace bullying as a social stressor at work. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 52(4), 347-353. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9450.2011.00885.x
Hoel, H., Einarsen, S., & Cooper, C. L. (2011). Organizational effects of bullying. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Developments in theory, research, and practice (2nd ed., pp. 129-147). CRC Press.
Hoel, H., Faragher, B., & Cooper, C. L. (2021). Bullying at work: The impact of shame among university and NHS employees. Journal of Social Work Practice, 35(1), 77-91. doi: 10.1080/02650533.2020.1799322
Hoel, H., Glasø, L., Hetland, J., Cooper, C. L., & Einarsen, S. (2011). Leadership styles as predictors of self‐reported and observed workplace bullying. British Journal of Management, 22(2), 187-206.
Hoel, H., Rayner, C., & Cooper, C. L. (2011). Workplace bullying. In J. Barling & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Organizational Behavior, Volume 1: Micro Approaches (pp. 372-388). SAGE Publications. doi: 10.4135/9781446200919.n19
Kirkpatrick, S. A., & Locke, E. A. (2021). Leadership: Do traits matter? Academy of Management Perspectives, 35(3), 347-370. doi: 10.5465/amp.2018.0106
Kivimäki, M., Kawachi, I., & Jokela, M. (2015). Workplace bullying as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mental health. Journal of the American Medical Association, 314(19), 2021-2022. doi: 10.1001/jama.2015.14267
Kivimäki, M., Virtanen, M., Elovainio, M., Kouvonen, A., Väänänen, A., Vahtera, J., & Pentti, J. (2003). Work stress in the etiology of coronary heart disease—a meta-analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 29(2), 107-115.
Kivimäki, M., Virtanen, M., Vartia, M., Elovainio, M., Vahtera, J., & Keltikangas-Järvinen, L. (2003). Workplace bullying and the risk of cardiovascular disease and depression. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 60(10), 779-783. doi: 10.1136/oem.60.10.779
Leymann, H. (2017). The content and development of mobbing at work. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 26(6), 840-844. doi: 10.1080/1359432X.2017.1379503
Leymann, H. (2017). The history of workplace bullying. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Developments in theory, research, and practice (3rd ed., pp. 19-37). CRC Press.
Namie, G. (2018). The legal landscape for workplace bullying in the United States: A patchwork. In L. M. Duffy & D. Yamada (Eds.), Workplace bullying and mobbing in the United States (pp. 93-122). Praeger.
Niedhammer, I., Saurel-Cubizolles, M. J., Piciotti, M., & Bonenfant, S. (2021). How to tackle workplace bullying: From evidence-based research to implementation. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 94(3), 461-474. doi: 10.1007/s00420-020-01557-1
Niedhammer, I., Saurel-Cubizolles, M. J., Piciotti, M., & Bonenfant, S. (2021). Workplace bullying and health: An update of the literature. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 94(2), 167-180. doi: 10.1007/s00420-020-01596-5
Nielsen, M. B., Einarsen, S. V., Matthiesen, S. B., & Skogstad, A. (2020). Prevalence and occupational outcomes of workplace bullying in a national sample of Norwegian employees: A comparative study. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29(5), 738-753. doi: 10.1080/1359432X.2020.1805488
Nielsen, M. B., Einarsen, S., & Matthiesen, S. B. (2020). The prevalence of workplace bullying in Norway: Comparing sample types and measurement approaches. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29(3), 348-362. doi: 10.1080/1359432X.2020.1734378
Purvanova, R. K., Muros, J. P., & Buchholz, B. (2021). The impact of organizational support and employee well-being interventions on reducing workplace bullying: A quasi-experimental study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 42(1), 21-39. doi: 10.1002/job.2494
Reisel, W. D., Koop, C., van Gelderen, B. R., & Breitenecker, R. J. (2021). Job crafting as a coping strategy for workplace bullying: A multilevel analysis. Journal of Business and Psychology, 36(3), 445-460. doi: 10.1007/s10869-020-09693-9
Reisel, W. D., Probst, T. M., & Chia, S. L. (2021). Job crafting as a coping strategy for dealing with workplace bullying. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 30(2), 236-249.
Reisel, W. D., Probst, T. M., Chia, S. L., & Maloles III, C. M. (2021). Workplace bullying and job crafting: The moderating role of psychological capital. Journal of Business and Psychology, 36(3), 519-533. doi: 10.1007/s10869-020-09683-4
Saastamoinen, P., Kinnunen, U., Rantanen, J., & Kujala, S. (2021). Association between workplace bullying and long-term sickness absence: Register-based cohort study. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 94(5), 935-942. doi: 10.1007/s00420-021-01662-7
Saastamoinen, P., Kivimäki, M., Pentti, J., Linna, A., Virtanen, M., & Vahtera, J. (2021). Workplace bullying and sickness absence: A cohort study of 26,983 public-sector employees. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 63(3), 173-178.
Saastamoinen, P., Palomäki, J., & Vuori, J. (2021). Workplace bullying, job dissatisfaction, and sickness absence: A prospective cohort study. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 47(2), 85-93. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.3913
Salin, D. (2018). Workplace bullying and health. In Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Theory, research, and practice (pp. 123-140). Routledge.
Wang, L., Li, Y., Liang, Y., Li, P., Li, J., & Li, S. (2022). A systematic review of interventions for workplace bullying. Journal of Nursing Management, 30(1), 11-22. doi: 10.1111/jonm.13313
Yamada, Y., Goto, J., & Kato, Y. (2022). A meta-analysis of the association between workplace bullying and employees' psychological well-being
Yamada, Y., Oshio, A., & Takeuchi, M. (2022). Prevalence and correlates of workplace bullying: A meta-analysis. Journal of Occupational Health, 64(1), e12427.
Yamada, Y., Zhang, M., Xu, J., & Huang, Y. (2022). Workplace bullying: A meta-analytic review of prevalence and correlates. Work & Stress, 36(1), 1-24. doi: 10.1080/02678373.2021.1966335
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2023 International journal of health sciences

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Articles published in the International Journal of Health Sciences (IJHS) are available under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives Licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Authors retain copyright in their work and grant IJHS right of first publication under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Users have the right to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles in this journal, and to use them for any other lawful purpose.
Articles published in IJHS can be copied, communicated and shared in their published form for non-commercial purposes provided full attribution is given to the author and the journal. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
This copyright notice applies to articles published in IJHS volumes 4 onwards. Please read about the copyright notices for previous volumes under Journal History.