Dangers of workplace bullying: evidence from the Caribbean

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/JACPR-05-2016-0228
Date09 January 2017
Pages69-80
Published date09 January 2017
AuthorDwayne Devonish
Subject MatterHealth & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Aggression, conflict & peace,Sociology,Gender studies,Gender violence,Political sociology, policy & social change,Social conflicts,War/peace
Dangers of workplace bullying: evidence
from the Caribbean
Dwayne Devonish
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether person-related bullying, work-related bullying,
and physically intimidating bullying predict three forms of job strain: physical exhaustion, work-related
depression, and interpersonal counterproductive work behaviour (CWB-P).
Design/methodology/approach The study surveyed a wide cross-section of employees across a
number of private sector organisations in a small developing country in the Caribbean region.
Findings The prevalence rate of workplace bullying in the current Caribbean sample was 54 per cent.
The regression results revealed that person-related bullying and work-related were positively related to
work-related depression, whereas physically intimidating bullying and work-related bullying were positively
related to CWB-P. None of the three forms of bullying predicted physical exhaustion. When the overall
workplace bullying composite was used, all three job strains were significantly predicted.
Research limitations/implications The study utilised a cross-sectional self-report survey research design
which does not permit causal inferences to be made. Common method variance is a possible limitation due to the
use of self-report measure but this was ruled out by a Harmans single factor test. Longitudinal research using a
mixture of subjective and objective measures is needed to further investigate these relationships reported here.
Practical implications First, social and interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence training and
development opportunities should be provided to both managers and employees as a means of developing
individuals who are socially aware, interpersonally competent, and emotionally intelligent in their interactions
with each other at work. Second, a zero-tolerance approach should be communicated throughout the
organisation evidenced by clear and explicit organisational policies against these acts. Third, it would be
of good practical value to establish health and safety committees to identify, assess and tackle various
psychosocial and other hazards at work (e.g. workplace bullying).
Originality/value The study utilised a three-dimensional model of bullying at work (as well as a composite
form of bullying) for predicting three forms of job strains among employees in various Caribbean workplaces.
Keywords Depression, Workplace bullying, Job strain, Caribbean,
Interpersonal counterproductive work behaviours, Physical exhaustion
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Workplace bullyinghas been recognised as a serious problem in organisations in both developed
and developingcountries (Devonish, 2013,2014; Tsuno et al., 2010), resultingin significant social,
psychologicaland economic costs andlosses for many employers andemployees. In light of these
concerns, workplace bullying, as a topic of study, has gained considerable scholarly attention in
the work stress, aggression, conflict, and health literature domains. This present study examines
the adverse effects of workplace bullying (in its various manifestations) on employee health and
well-being. The following section presents a selective review of recent conceptualisations and
operationalisations of workplace bullying, global prevalencerates, a recent theoretical perspective
and supporting empirical research on workplace bullying.
Workplace bullying: definition and nature
A number of definitions and approaches have been proposed to help explain, understand, and
measure this phenomenon of workplace bullying within a scholarly context. Workplace bullying
Received 1 May 2016
Revised 15 June 2016
22 June 2016
Accepted 22 June 2016
Dwayne Devonish is a Senior
Lecturer at the Department of
Management Studies,
University of the West Indies,
Bridgetown, Barbados.
DOI 10.1108/JACPR-05-2016-0228 VOL. 9 NO. 1 2017, pp.69-80, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1759-6599
j
JOURNAL OF AGGRESSION, CONFLICT AND PEACE RESEARCH
j
PAGE 6 9

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