Abstract
Workplace violence is an enormous problem worldwide; incidents where the perpetrator is a current or former employee are an important dimension. This large cross-sectional survey examined the prevalence of this problem among a U.S. state government unionized public sector workforce. Using participatory action research methods, we conducted a web-based survey of members of that workforce from a single northeast U.S. state, receiving 11,874 completed surveys (response rate: 71.8%). Overall, 10.0% of the respondents indicated that they had been bullied at work during the prior 6 months, with 71.9% of those who reported regular bullying identifying the perpetrator as a supervisor and/or top management. The prevalence of bullying was similar to the rates reported in Europe and Scandinavia (5%-30%). Those reports also identified the person(s) responsible for the behavior as being predominantly of higher status within the organization.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 813-829 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | Violence and victims |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2015 |
Keywords
- Type III workplace violence
- emotional abuse
- negatives acts
- participatory action research
- workplace bullying
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine
- Health(social science)
- Law