Workplace bullying in the service sector

Context: Bullying is a problem that people, the world over, grapple with. It is manifest in different forms among different sections of people. Despite its prevalence, workplace bullying has not received much attention in scholarly literature in India. It is also not widely acknowledged as a threat...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nimisha Savapandit, Bharathi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2022-01-01
Series:Indian Journal of Social Psychiatry
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.indjsp.org/article.asp?issn=0971-9962;year=2022;volume=38;issue=2;spage=143;epage=147;aulast=Savapandit
Description
Summary:Context: Bullying is a problem that people, the world over, grapple with. It is manifest in different forms among different sections of people. Despite its prevalence, workplace bullying has not received much attention in scholarly literature in India. It is also not widely acknowledged as a threat to individual and organizational well-being. The purpose of this study is to add to the existing body of literature on the topic and to draw attention to the gravity of the issue. Aims: The primary objectives are to identify if there exist variations in its incidence on the basis of gender and years of experience, to identify the source of negative behavior, and the type of bullying that is most prevalent. Settings and Design: The study is a type of cross-sectional, descriptive study. Subjects and Methods: Data have been collected from a sample of 84 respondents using the Work Harassment Scale. All respondents are white-collar employees of the service sector in the cities of India. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS v25. Results: The results find that there is no difference in the incidence of bullying on the basis of either gender or years of experience. Moreover, the source of negative behavior is generally one's superiors, and the most prevalent type is “verbal aggression.” Conclusions: The study concludes with suggestions of steps to be implemented at the national and organizational level, to combat the problem.
ISSN:0971-9962