Work organisation, bullying and intention to leave in the hospitality industry
| Published date | 05 June 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-07-2016-0149 |
| Pages | 446-458 |
| Date | 05 June 2017 |
| Author | Philip Bohle,Angela Knox,Jack Noone,Maria Mc Namara,Julia Rafalski,Michael Quinlan |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations,Employment law |
Work organisation, bullying and
intention to leave in the
hospitality industry
Philip Bohle
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Angela Knox
University of Sydney Business School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Jack Noone
Centre for Social Impact, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Maria Mc Namara
Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute, Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health,
University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Julia Rafalski
Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo, Vitoria, Brazil, and
Michael Quinlan
University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to examine relationships between work organisation, bullying and
intention to leave (ITL) in the Australian hospitality industry, using pressure, disorganisation and regulatory
failure (PDR) to measure work organisation.
Design/methodology/approach –Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 72 workers in
Australian accommodation hotels. They were aged 20-65 years (M¼38.26, SD ¼12.60) and 57.1 per cent were
female. The proposed path model was tested with the Mplus (v.7) statistical package using Hayes’(2009)
procedure for mediation analysis.
Findings –There were positive bivariate correlations between all variables. The path model indicated that
disorganisation and regulatory failure had direct positive associations with bullying. Financial pressure and
bullying had direct positive associations with ITL.
Research limitations/implications –The small sample may not be representative and the cross-sectional
design and self-report data risk common method variance effects and preclude attributions of causality.
Future studies should use more representative samples and longitudinal designs to address common method
variance issues and facilitate causal inferences.
Originality/value –Bullying and turnover are significant problems in the hospitality industry, but the
contribution of work organisation variables is poorly understood. The present study provides promising
preliminary evidence on the potential role of PDR as an antecedent of both bullying and ITL.
Keywords Workplace bullying, Pressure, Regulatory failure, Work organization,
Intention to leave, Disorganization
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Workplace bullying is a widespread problem with serious individual, organisational and
social effects (Einarsen and Mikkelsen, 2003; Hoel et al., 2003). It afflicts approximately
10-20 per cent of employees annually, although up to half may be affected in some
workplaces (e.g. Einarsen et al., 2003). Bullying has been associated with serious
psychological and physical consequences, ranging from anxiety, anger, and depression to
extreme substance abuse and suicide (Einarsen and Mikkelsen, 2003). It may also diminish
Employee Relations
Vol. 39 No. 4, 2017
pp. 446-458
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-07-2016-0149
Received 27 July 2016
Revised 14 March 2017
Accepted 14 March 2017
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0142-5455.htm
The authors are very grateful to United Voice for facilitating data collection.
446
ER
39,4
To continue reading
Request your trial