Exploring bullying behaviors from the perspective of physicians and nurses in Jordanian public hospitals
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-03-2022-0109 |
| Published date | 12 August 2022 |
| Date | 12 August 2022 |
| Pages | 121-139 |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations,Employment law |
| Author | Raed Ababneh,Walaa Abu Ahmadah |
Exploring bullying behaviors from
the perspective of physicians and
nurses in Jordanian
public hospitals
Raed Ababneh
International Affairs Department-Policy, Planning and Development Program,
Qatar University, Doha, Qatar, and
Walaa Abu Ahmadah
Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Yarmouk University, Irbid,
Jordan
Abstract
Purpose –This study aims to explore the perception of physicians and nurses toward the prevalence of
workplace bullying behaviors (verbal, physical, social, and cyber) in Jordanian public hospitals.
Design/methodology/approach –The study population consisted of 1,056 physicians and nurses working
on the day and night shifts in four leading public hospitals in Jordan. A convenient nonprobability sample of
460 physicians and nurses was chosen randomly to answer the self-administrated questionnaire developed by
the authors. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted using SPSS 26.0. Statistical significance was
set at p< 0.05.
Findings –Participants reported that the prevalence of workplace bullying behaviors was 23% (M51.15).
The practice of the bullying types was in descending order as follows: verbal (25%), social (24.8%), physical
(21.4%), and cyber (21%). Abusers spread rumors about the victims (31%), verbally harass them for
provocation (29%), physically damage their things without any reason (26%), and make fun of their posts on
social media (21%). Cyberbullying was significantly and strongly associated with social bullying (0.88). Ph.D.
and master’s holders reported higher practice of workplace bullying behaviors than respondents who hold a
diplomaor a bachelor’s degree. In addition, respondents who work the day shift reported higher verbal bullying
than the night shift respondents.
Practical implications –There is a need to develop effective policies and procedures that tackle the practice
of workplace bullying by educating employees about the nature of workplace bullying, its effects on individual
and organizational outcomes, and how to prevent its adverse consequences.
Originality/value –This is one of the first comprehensive studies in the Arab context that explores
workplace bullying against physicians and nurses.
Keywords Workplace bullying, Verbal bullying, Physical bullying, Social bullying, Cyberbullying, Public
hospitals, Jordan
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The issue of workplace bullying against medical workers has attracted considerable
attention from researchers and practitioners. Workplace bullying against healthcare
employees is a common daily problem in hospitals worldwide (Mohamad et al., 2021).
Although there are no standardized and agreed-upon definitions, the term bullying at work
generally refers to the repeated and regular activities, actions, processes, and behavior
including harassment, offending, degrading, or social excluding that affect the victimized
individual negatively. Research revealed that healthcare employees are among the groups
persistently exposed to workplace violence and bullying (Somani et al., 2022;Edmondson and
Zelonka, 2019;Alswaid, 2014). Sustaining a healthy work environment is a significant
challenge for healthcare organizations worldwide (Al Muharraq et al., 2022). Farmer (2011)
Exploring
bullying
behaviors
121
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0142-5455.htm
Received 1 March 2022
Revised 28 June 2022
Accepted 26 July 2022
Employee Relations: The
International Journal
Vol. 45 No. 1, 2023
pp. 121-139
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-03-2022-0109
reported that one out of every three workers had been subjected to bullying in the workplace.
Kwoon (2018) confirmed the significance of the prevalence of workplace bullying as it ranges
between 15 and 19%; males are the main perpetrators, and females are the primary victims.
These findings point out the increasing danger of bullying that threatens the work
environment by leading to psychological and social problems that may affect the quality of
services, especially in the health sector.
Healthcare employees face several challenges mainly job insecurity, role conflict,
antagonistic relationships with management, job dissatisfaction, and burnout (Awi et al.,
2021). Accordingly, employees are more prone to verbal and physical violence, aggression,
and domination, which lead to poor performance and intention to leave work. Workplace
bullying often is a determining factor behind the high turnover rates of healthcare employees
(Haddad et al., 2020). Research, moreover, has provided solid evidence that workplace
bullying is a severe stressor that affects the victims’mental and physiological well-being
(Høgh et al., 2021;Mokhtar, 2019). Høgh et al. (2021) argue that bullying practices negatively
affect the quality of care and patient safety in the healthcare sector. Workplace bullying also
may constitute an obstacle to the quality of health services because of the poor work
environment and exacerbation of psychological and physical problems that may face the
medical staff. Specifically, physicians being bullied are more prone to make medical errors,
while bullied nurses demonstrate poor job performance, affecting continuity of patient care
(Paice and Smith, 2009).
Based on an extensive literature review of bullying, Le
on-P
erez et al. (2021) highlighted
that bullying in the workplace is widespread and should be addressed to develop safer
working environments. Managers should reduce the incidence and consequences of
workplace bullying to achieve their goals efficiently and effectively. Most research on
workplace bullying has been conducted in developed countries, mainly the USA and Europe.
Al Mahyijari et al. (2020) argue that one serious limitation that research on workplace
bullying in Arab countries suffers from is the absence of good measures. Therefore, this
study contributes clearly in developing a reliable questionnaire measuring the prevalence of
the different forms of workplace bullying that can be replicated in other Arab countries as
well as in different work settings. Little research examined workplace bullying in the Arab
world (Alswaid, 2014), particularly in Jordan. Even the majority of studies in Jordan examined
bullying in the academic environment (Al-Zoubi and Mhidat, 2014;Al-gharably, 2014), the
industrial sector Jawazneh and Smadi (2017), and private health organizations (Al-
Shawabkeh, 2019). There is also an evident lack of bullying studies in the public sector
and health organizations.
This study is among the first to explore workplace bullying in health organizations in the
Middle East, representing a largely overlooked area in the existing academic literature. The
aim is to broaden our perspective on different forms of workplace bullying and to explore
their practices in hospitals that are essential organizations in the daily life of people.
Therefore, this study is considered a foundation for other researchers to investigate the work
environment that affects employees’physical, mental, and psychological well-being. This
study also serves as a stepping-stone for decision-makers to establish a better work
environment, mainly for those who may be victims of bullying behaviors. Moreover, this
study has a significant contribution for several reasons. First, it focuses on the health sector,
which aims to preserve and improve human life, which cannot be achieved without creating a
safe and nonviolent working environment for the medical staff. Second, it is one of the most
comprehensive studies compared to the previous ones, as it examines the four main
dimensions of bullying (verbal, physical, social, and cyber) in Jordanian public hospitals.
Third, this study investigates the most crucial category of employees in the health sector,
namely physicians and nurses, instead of examining the attitudes of all healthcare staff.
Physicians and nurses have considered the pillars of any medical organization, and
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