The impact of workplace bullying on individual wellbeing: The moderating role of coping

SA Journal of Human Resource Management

 
 
Field Value
 
Title The impact of workplace bullying on individual wellbeing: The moderating role of coping
 
Creator Bernstein, Colleen Trimm, Leanne
 
Subject psychology workplace bullying; coping; individual wellbeing; organisational wellbeing
Description Orientation: Workplace bullying has deleterious effects on individual well-being and various organisational outcomes. Different coping styles may moderate the relationship between workplace bullying and individual and organisational outcomes.Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the moderating role of four coping styles – seeking help, assertiveness, avoidance and doing nothing – in the relationship between workplace bullying and individual and organisational outcomes.Motivation for the study: There is a lack of South African research exploring the moderating role of different coping styles in the relationship between workplace bullying and individual and organisational outcomes.Research design, approach and method: The study used a cross-sectional design, quantitative approach and a convenience sampling method. One hundred white-collar respondents from a construction organisation in South Africa participated in this research. Moderated multiple regression (MMR) was used to analyse the data.Main findings: Results of the MMR indicated a direct negative impact of workplace bullying on psychological well-being, self-esteem, job satisfaction and intention to leave. Seeking help and assertiveness moderated the relationship between bullying and psychological well-being. Avoidance and doing nothing also moderated the relationship between bullying and psychological well-being but in a counterintuitive manner, exacerbating the negative impact of bullying on psychological well-being. Similarly, avoidance exacerbated the negative impact of bullying on self-esteem. Direct effects were also found for the coping strategy of seeking help on psychological well-being and for avoidance on job satisfaction. However, while seeking help improved psychological well-being, avoidance had a negative impact on job satisfaction.Practical/managerial implications: Different coping strategies may have different effects. Some may be productive in terms of leading to improved outcomes, while others may not. These findings have particular relevance for human resource departments and practitioners.Contribution/value-add: The findings of this research contribute to the limited body of South African research investigating different types of coping in moderating the bullying–well-being relationship.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2016-10-31
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/octet-stream text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/sajhrm.v14i1.792
 
Source SA Journal of Human Resource Management; Vol 14, No 1 (2016); 12 pages 2071-078X 1683-7584
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://sajhrm.co.za/index.php/sajhrm/article/view/792/1095 https://sajhrm.co.za/index.php/sajhrm/article/view/792/1094 https://sajhrm.co.za/index.php/sajhrm/article/view/792/1096 https://sajhrm.co.za/index.php/sajhrm/article/view/792/1092
 
Coverage — — —
Rights Copyright (c) 2016 Colleen Bernstein, Leanne Trimm https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ADVERTISEMENT