Workplace Bullying and Victimization in Tertiary Institution: Safety and Health Perspective (Published)
There has been rising interests in studying extraneous factors that are responsible to myriad of organizational misbehaviors in most working environment of today. Over the past decade mobbing or as is popularly known bullying in the workplace has contributed immensely to the challenges employees are facing. The near absence of research and data on this organizational misbehavior despite its high occurrences in most workplaces makes this research relevant and timely. The conspicuous or near absence of literature on bullying in this part of the world requires that a study like this need to be conducted. The of this research will not serve as an addition to literature but will unveiled level of occurrences of these behaviors, suggest ways and how to reduce the occurrence and develop mechanism to use to help the victims. Available literatures in advanced economies reveals that organizational cultures promotes or undermine the dignity of the individual employees, or visitors and in a way influence behaviors that encourages respect or bullying. The liberty to hide under the cover of certain organizational organograms and power structures denies interested parties to study the levels of bullying in the workplaces. These, therefore led to having an underestimated data in most of the work environment where it occur. It has been confirmed that bullying causes significant amount of health problems for employees in many organizations. The threat of being bullied or anticipated bullying contributed immensely to stress causing conditions and to a large extent ill health. This study recognizes that building a culture of respect requires organizations to establish a range of integrated policies, structures and interventions to address mobbing/bullying acts. A concerted and collective effort need to be made to developed greater understanding by involving range of stakeholders including organizational management, unions, professionals, human resources, lawyers, occupational health psychologists and therapists
Keywords: Bullying, Victimization, Workplace, mobbing, safety and health
Dignity in the Workplace: The Aspect of Moral Harassment and Concerns about the Adequacy of Greek Legislation (Published)
Dignity at work is related to a wide range of employment issues that face the basic and general question how employees are valued and respected as humans in the workplace. This paper focuses on the psychological and moral harassment, which is considered to be one of the most serious threats of employees’ dignity. First, it examines the broad concept of psychological and moral harassment and its various definitions. Then, it analyzes the legislative framework in Greece and traces the extent in which harassed employees are protected by the general provisions of the Greek Constitution, the Civil Code, the Labor Law, and the Penal Code, since there is no specific legislation regulating workplace harassment. Finally, this paper makes suggestions about the need for a specialized legal framework to be established regulating the psychological and moral harassment in the workplace and highlights the advantages of such an initiative.
Keywords: Dignity, harassment, mobbing, non-discrimination, rights’ abuse
Mobbing in a Greek Public Hospital and the Views Experiences and Beliefs among Health Professionals: A Qualitative Study (Published)
In the last 18 years, a significant increase of incidents of mobbing in occupational health professionals mainly in nursing, medical, and administrative staff. The phenomenon of mobbing and its effects on mental, physical health in health professionals, and consequently on the quality of life, in a workplace is a significant limitation in the psycho-spiritual balance of employees as well as for the proper functioning of the organization. The purpose of the study is to investigate the views, experiences and beliefs of health professionals about the phenomenon of Mobbing. In particular, it was researched on: (a) the understanding of the definition, (b) the adequate information (updating), and (c) the sensitization of health professionals. A qualitative study was carried out using the phenomenological approach. The sample consisted of 12 health professionals (nurses, physicians, and administrative staff) who work in a Greek public hospital. 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The semi-structured interview was consisted of 3 main axes with 9 questions in total. The problem of mobbing is a reality and exist in public hospital. Hospital professionals recognize that workplace mobbing is a form of psychological abuse and its forms of expressions are mainly verbal and behavioural. They point out that it can be manifested both by colleagues and superiors, but also by the patients’ relatives/helpers.To avoid such incidents in the health department, the Hospitals Administration, should have an anthropocentric character. The Heads of department, should to be educated and made aware, to know how to address any job harassment, as well as to organize information and awareness seminars for employees and self-help groups, through specific programs support, rehabilitation and reintegration for people who have suffered mobbing.
Keywords: Hospital, analysis the term, health professionals, mobbing, sensitization, updating
Mobbing and Its Association with Quality Of Life in Health Professionals (Published)
Background and objectives: The impact of mobbing on the quality of life of Health Professionals (HP) has been studied to a limited extent in Greece. The purpose of this study is the effect of mobbing and the effect of demographic characteristics on the quality of life of health professionals. Materials and Methods: In the present cross-sectional study HP from 11 public Greek hospitals are involved. The sample was (N = 1536) HP, (A = 528) and (C = 1008), average age 39.2 years (SD = 10.3 years). A demographic data form and two tools were used anonymously, self-fulfilling. The World Health Organization questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) that measure the quality of life and the WPVB that measures violent psychological behaviour in workplaces. The two-sided level of statistical significance was set at 0.05, while the data analysis was performed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 22.0. Results: Women had lower scores in the Mental Health Scale and the quality life level of independence compared to men (p = 0.003). The tendency of individuals to declare that they had no health problem was associated with higher scores in the four domains of life quality (p <0.001). The tendency of individuals to declare that they have been subjected to mobbing in all domains (p <0.001) was associated with poor quality of life in all its factors (p <0.001). Married suffering mobbing reported better QOL (p = 0.003) and a healthier environment (p = 0.012) than married with children with poor QOL (p = 0.001), poor physical (p <0.001) and mental health (p = 0.009) and reduced social relationships (p = 0.001). The HP (doctors and nurses) with overall mobbing score, p = 0.001, had a better mental health and better social relations than those HP, who worked as Administrative and Technical Staff. Support by friends, relatives, family showed that they are associated with a better quality of life in all its factors. Health Professionals suffering any form of mobbing (p<0,001) have a poor quality of life (p<0,001), poor physical (p<0,001) and mental health (p<0,001) and poor social contacts (p<0,001). Conclusions: Taking into account the results of statistical controls on the effect of mobbing, demographic and other factors (sex, age, job, working years, etc.), it was found that mobbing negatively affects the QOL in general as the working environment is affected, their socio-demographic profile of both genders and their physical, mental and social well-being. Further studies are needed to show the universality of these results.
Keywords: Health, Quality of life, Working Environment, health professionals, mobbing, occupational health
