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The purpose of this paper is to examine if the gender of the perpetrator and the gender of the target have interactive effects on the frequency of downward workplace bullying to which targets are subjected.

A cross-sectional design was used on a sample of 125 schoolteachers in Uganda. Self-report data on downward workplace bullying were obtained using the Negative Acts Questionnaire.

The perpetrator’s gender and the target’s gender have interactive effects on the level of downward bullying to which targets are subjected. Although targets in within-gender dyads reported higher levels of overall downward workplace bullying than did targets in between-gender dyads, a significant gender-gender interaction was found for personal harassment and work-related harassment but not for intimidation nor organisational harassment.

The generalisability of the findings is limited due to the sample consisting entirely of schoolteachers in Uganda. Self-report data are a limitation as they are subjective and thus susceptible to various perceptual biases (e.g. social desirability, personality of the respondent). Examining the interactive effects of gender on workplace bullying helps to provide a better understanding of the potential influence of gender in bullying scenarios. The findings from research that considers only the main effects of gender whilst ignoring interactive effects can misinform any theory or policy development.

Organisations need to resocialise their members so that they learn new attitudes and norms regarding aggressive behaviour in the workplace.

This paper contributes to the literature on workplace bullying by examining the interactive effects of gender on the frequency of downward workplace bullying.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze cross-national and cross-cultural similarities and differences in perceptions and conceptualizations of workplace bullying among human resource professionals (HRPs). Particular emphasis was given to what kind of behaviors are considered as bullying in different countries and what criteria interviewees use to decide whether a particular behavior is bullying or not.

HRPs in 13 different countries/regions (n=199), spanning all continents and all GLOBE cultural clusters (House et al., 2004), were interviewed and a qualitative content analysis was carried out.

Whereas interviewees across the different countries largely saw personal harassment and physical intimidation as bullying, work-related negative acts and social exclusion were construed very differently in the different countries. Repetition, negative effects on the target, intention to harm, and lack of a business case were decision criteria typically used by interviewees across the globe – other criteria varied by country.

The results help HRPs working in multinational organizations understand different perceptions of negative acts.

The findings point to the importance of cultural factors, such as power distance and performance orientation, and other contextual factors, such as economy and legislation for understanding varying conceptualizations of bullying.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the perspectives of human resource professionals (HRPs) and employee representatives (ERs) on the role of HRPs in managing workplace bullying.

Individual interviews were conducted with 12 HRPs and five ERs from a wide range of industries. Interview questions were open-ended and sought to gain insight on the views of the individual interviewees.

The findings address the role of HRPs in bullying scenarios and in the prevention of bullying. Regarding the role of HRPs in bullying, the responses of the participants suggest confusion and ambiguity, with a variety of roles being described ranging from a support-based role through to a protector of management. The participants also noted the importance of the HRP task of policy development, while a distrust of HRPs in bullying scenarios was mentioned. Regarding the effective management and prevention of bullying, the findings demonstrate that HRPs are viewed as having a central role through their particular responsibilities of creating and nurturing a positive organisational culture, as well as through engaging employees in the development of anti-bullying policies.

HRPs believe that they can contribute significantly to reducing workplace bullying through organisational culture (including educating staff and as role models of behaviour) and by engaging staff in the design of anti-bullying policies.

This paper contributes to the literature on workplace bullying by examining within the Australian context the perspectives of HRPs and ERs on how HRPs can prevent and manage workplace bullying.

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This paper examined the physical and psychological effects of workplace bullying and their relationship to intention to leave. Participants were 150 undergraduate students who had been employed during the last 12 months. Workplace bullying correlated positively with physical symptoms, negative affect, and with intention to leave the job. Partial Least Squares analyses were used to test two competing models for the relationship between bullying, physical and psychological effects, and intention to leave. The results supported the psychosomatic model (i.e., bullying leads to negative affect which leads to physical health problems, which in turn increase intention to leave) but not the disability hypothesis (i.e., bullying leads to physical health problems which lead to negative affect, which in turn increases intention to leave).

The relationships between different types of workplace bullying and the reactions of victims were examined using six categories of bullying (threat to professional status, destabilization, isolation, overwork, verbal taunts, and violence) and three categories of reactions (assertiveness, avoidance, and seeking formal help). Participants were 127 employed undergraduates. Descriptive statistics and correlations were used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that avoidance reactions were the most common, followed by assertiveness and seeking formal help. As hypothesized, different types of bullying were associated with different types of reactions. Several practical implications derived from the findings were discussed suggesting that prevention is better than intervention.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether perceptions of workplace bullying have evolved to encompass a holistic appreciation that includes both physical and psychological components of this costly phenomenon, and to assess the effectiveness of relevant training programs in a major retail organisation.

A qualitative methodology is adopted. In total, 30 semi‐structured interviews were conducted with frontline employees and management in an organisation comprising several retail outlets.

The interviews reveal that although participants experienced a variety of behaviours associated with workplace bullying and harassment, these behaviours were commonly ignored or neglected until they escalated into confrontation and threatened productivity and profitability. Employees and supervisory staff had minimal appreciation, practical skills, or training on how to deal effectively with negative workplace behaviours.

A limitation of the study is that the data are sourced from a single organisation. The findings highlight the need to evaluate the effectiveness and relevance of occupational health and safety policies and procedures, and to expand their focus beyond the physical paradigm to incorporate also psychosocial and psychological, risk and injury.

The study provides a unique examination of whether management and staff incorporate both physical and psychological aspects of occupational health and safety.

The paper seeks to examine the effects of workplace bullying, satisfaction with supervisor, and satisfaction with co‐workers on affective commitment.

A survey approach was used in this research. Partial least squares analyses on data from 142 full‐time schoolteachers in China were used to determine whether workplace bullying, satisfaction with supervisor, and satisfaction with co‐workers have unique effects on affective commitment.

The paper reveals that workplace bullying has a significant negative correlation with affective commitment while satisfaction with supervisor and satisfaction with co‐workers each have a significant positive correlation with affective commitment. Furthermore, workplace bullying, satisfaction with supervisor, and satisfaction with co‐workers all have significant unique effects on affective commitment.

Limitations are the use of self‐report and cross‐sectional data. Future research could adopt samples from different industries, include multi‐rater data, and a longitudinal research design. Various other workplace factors that may influence affective commitment could also be examined.

The findings highlight the need for anti‐bullying policies in organisations. Neither satisfaction with supervisor nor satisfaction with co‐workers nullifies the negative effects of bullying on the target's affective commitment. Preventing bullying is therefore fundamental to sustaining affective commitment.

This paper contributes to the literature by providing an examination of the effects of workplace bullying, satisfaction with supervisor, and satisfaction with co‐workers on affective commitment. To the authors' knowledge, no workplace bullying research has been conducted previously in China.

To examine the role of neuroticism in the psychosomatic model of workplace bullying.

A survey approach was used in this research. Partial Least Squares analyses on data from 127 participants were used to determine whether the effects of bullying on negative affect are independent of, or are moderated by, neuroticism.

Revealed that neuroticism does not moderate the relationship between bullying and negative affect. Bullying and neuroticism were found to act independently on negative affect. The results supported the psychosomatic model of bullying.

Limitations are the nature of the sample, the use of self‐report and cross‐sectional data. Future research could use a larger sample, include multi‐rater data, and a longitudinal research design.

Dealing effectively with bullying is a concern for individuals and organizations. The findings highlight the need for anti‐bullying policies. Management need to be trained in the prevention of bullying and in how to deal effectively with bullying. Victims should not be held accountable for the psychosomatic effects of bullying, the onus remains on managers and employers to prevent bullying from occurring.

This paper extends the psychosomatic model of workplace bullying by examining the role of neuroticism. The findings have both theoretical implications for researchers in increasing understanding of the psychosomatic model of bullying, and practical implications for managers in organizations in terms of developing strategies for countering workplace bullying and its effects.

The main purpose of this paper is to examine the psychosomatic model of downward workplace bullying in different cultures.

A cross‐sectional design was used. Participants were teachers in government and non‐government high schools in Australia and the Republic of Uganda. Participants completed a self‐report questionnaire.

The psychosomatic model is supported for both the Australian and the Ugandan samples. However, the relationship between bullying and physical symptoms is fully mediated by negative affect for the Australian sample but partially mediated for the Ugandan sample. The correlation between bullying and negative affect is stronger for the Australian sample than for the Ugandan sample.

The psychosomatic model was extended by including culture as a moderator of the bullying‐negative affect relationship. The findings show that the psychosomatic model of workplace bullying is a variform universal. All participants are schoolteachers and the findings may therefore not be generalisable to employees in other occupations. The validity of the findings is questionable as the data are self‐reported. The cross‐sectional design used precludes any conclusions being made about cause‐effect relationships. Future studies should consider other personality dimensions that may influence the psychosomatic model of bullying and the use of a longitudinal design.

Downward bullying reduces employee effectiveness because the ensuing negative affect and physical symptoms hamper employees from performing optimally. Furthermore, targets may adopt avoidance strategies, such as absenteeism and turnover, to avoid being bullied.

The psychosomatic model of workplace bullying was examined cross‐culturally for the first time.