How are witnessed workplace bullying and bystander roles related to perceived care quality, work engagement, and turnover intentions in the healthcare sector? A longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Workplace bullying is widespread in the healthcare sector and the negative effects are well known. However, less attention has been paid to bystanders who witness bullying in the workplace. Bystanders can affect the bullying process by engaging in active, passive, or destructive behaviors. There is a need to study work-related and organizational consequences of witnessing bullying and bystander behaviors. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to explore how witnessed workplace bullying and bystander behaviors are associated with work-related and organizational consequences, such as perceived quality of care, work engagement, and turnover intentions, among healthcare workers over time. DESIGN: Longitudinal design. An online questionnaire was administered twice over the course of six months. SETTING(S): Employees in the healthcare sector in Sweden, such as physicians, nurses, and assistant nurses, responded to the questionnaire. PARTICIPANTS: 1144 participants provided longitudinal data. METHODS: Structural equation modeling was used to explore the associations between witnessed bullying, bystander behavior, work-related and organizational factors over time. RESULTS: Witnessed workplace bullying (B = -0.18, 95 % CI [-0.23 to -0.12]) and the bystander outsider role (B = -0.24, 95 % CI [-0.29 to -0.19]) were statistically significantly related to a decrease in perceived quality of care. Work engagement was statistically significantly predicted by all three bystander roles over time; positively by the defender role (B = 0.11, 95 % CI [0.05-0.17]), and negatively by the outsider role (B = -0.23, 95 % CI [-0.29 to -0.16]), and the assistant role (B = -0.32, 95 % CI [-0.41 to -0.24]). The outsider role (B = 0.12, 95 % CI [0.02-0.22]), the assistant role (B = 0.17, 95 % CI [0.03-0.30]), and witnessed workplace bullying (B = 0.18, 95 % CI [0.08-0.29]), all positively predicted increased turnover intentions at a subsequent time point. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the direct negative impact workplace bullying has on those targeted by it, witnessing bullying and taking different bystander roles can have work-related and organizational consequences by influencing perceived care quality, employees' work engagement, and their intention to leave the organization.

Job Demands, Resources, and Future Considerations: Academics' Experiences of Working From Home During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has severely affected workers, workplaces, and working practices. In the higher education setting, universities have shifted to distance learning, resulting in profound changes in academics' work. In this study, we aimed to describe academics' job demands and resources related to changes in working conditions during the pandemic, and to examine how these changes have affected the perceived occupational wellbeing of academics. Additionally, we aimed to investigate academics' expectations and concerns for future academic working practices following the pandemic. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 26 academics working at various universities in Sweden. A content analysis was used to identify the key themes from the transcribed interviews. The results indicated that academics experienced a lack of face-to-face communication, absence of an academic environment, work overload, and work-home interference as demanding during the pandemic. In relation to resources, online communication options, appropriate working conditions, organizational-social support, and individual factors were perceived as important. Most respondents perceived negative occupational wellbeing outcomes. However, academics who had the appropriate resources were less likely to be affected by job demands. Academics' expectations for future academic work included continuation of working online, flexibility in the choice of workspace, and strengthened digital capacity. Their concerns were related to a lack of face-to-face interaction, management actions and economic implications, and pure digital education. This paper contributes to the literature by illustrating the complexity and diversity of experiences and preferences among academics that are important for universities to consider when organizing and managing future academic work.

Factors influencing the behavior of bystanders to workplace bullying in healthcare-A qualitative descriptive interview study.

Workplace bullying is a severe problem that affects individuals, organizations, and society. Although there is a growing research interest in bystanders of workplace bullying, the rationale underlying bystanders' behavior in healthcare settings requires further investigation. The aim of the current study is to explore factors that influence the behavior of bystanders to workplace bullying in the healthcare sector. Qualitative semistructured interviews were conducted with 32 staff members in the healthcare sector in Sweden. Data were collected between March 2019 and September 2020 and were analyzed with thematic analysis. The participants experienced that bystanders of bullying, both colleagues and managers, were in many situations acting in a passive way. Organizational factors such as dysfunctional organizational culture and deficiencies in management affected how actively the bystanders could intervene. Additionally, a fear of negative consequences, lack of awareness of what was going on, bullying behavior being excused, and the bystander not being a member of the dominant group were social factors contributing to bystanders' passive behavior. For bystander intervention to be successful, the organization must consider bullying as a serious issue, take action, and show support for both the target and the bystander.

The Paradox of Political Accountability and Deficits in the Preconditions for Service Delivery in Elderly Care: A Qualitative Study of Swedish Politicians.

The aims of this qualitative grounded theory study were to explore how politicians accountable for Swedish elderly care viewed their assignment, their beliefs and knowledge regarding the psychosocial work environment for elderly care employees, the factors affecting their work environment, and how these politicians regarded elderly care during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study consisted of 41 interviews with politicians in municipalities across Sweden. Three categories emerged from the analysis: (1) interpretation of the assignment directs the focus; (2) recognizing shortfalls in the employees' work environment; and (3) exposing deficiencies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The strongest category was identified as interpretation of the assignment directs the focus and was described as the delivery of good and quality care. Nevertheless, this study highlights shortfalls in the delivery of care services where the employees' work environment, especially in the home care sector, was frequently described as stressful. The COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected the work situation for staff in elderly care. In that setting, staff shortage and lack of competency were common. Nurses were particularly affected by high workload and responsibility. Further research should explore civil servant roles in the elderly care sector and how these actors view their collaboration with municipality politicians.

Preceptorship as part of the recruitment and retention strategy for nurses? A qualitative interview study.

AIM: To explore aspects that are important for the integration of preceptorship and processes for recruitment and retention of nurses. BACKGROUND: The shortage of nurses is a global concern that has a major impact on health care systems around the world. However, earlier research has not considered whether preceptorship of nursing students can be an integral part of recruitment and retention of nurses. METHOD: A descriptive design with a qualitative approach was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten preceptors and six ward managers in different health care specialties in Sweden. RESULTS: Three aspects were found central for integrating preceptorship with recruitment and retention: perceptions of preceptorship, the organisation of preceptorship and the way preceptorship operates in relation to recruitment and retention strategies. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that preceptorship and recruitment strategies could both benefit from being integrated. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: It is central for nursing managers to develop organisational practices that enable the integration of preceptorship with recruitment and retention of nurses. This could increase the quality of both preceptorship and the work environment in general.

Benchmarks for Evidence-Based Risk Assessment with the Swedish Version of the 4-Item Psychosocial Safety Climate Scale.

The purpose of the present study was to validate the short version of The Psychosocial Safety Climate questionnaire (PSC-4, Dollard, 2019) and to establish benchmarks indicating risk levels for use in Sweden. Cross-sectional data from (1) a random sample of employees in Sweden aged 25-65 years (n = 2847) and (2) a convenience sample of non-managerial employees from 94 workplaces (n = 3066) were analyzed. Benchmarks for three PSC risk levels were developed using organizational compliance with Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) regulations as criterion. The results support the validity and usefulness of the Swedish PSC-4 as an instrument to indicate good, fair, and poor OSH practices. The recommended benchmark for indicating good OSH practices is an average score of >12.0, while the proposed cutoff for poor OSH practices is a score of ≤8.0 on the PSC-4. Scores between these benchmarks indicate fair OSH practices. Furthermore, aggregated data on PSC-4 supported its reliability as a workplace level construct and its association with quantitative demands, quality of leadership, commitment to the workplace, work engagement, job satisfaction, as well as stress and burnout. Thus, the Swedish version of PSC-4 can be regarded as a valid and reliable measure for both research and practical use for risk assessment at workplaces.

Workplace bullying in the nursing profession: A cross-cultural scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Globally, nurses are at high risk of exposure to workplace bullying, and there is a growing body of literature addressing bullying in the nursing profession. Yet, our understanding of cross-cultural variations in bullying among nurses is lacking. An analysis of what is currently known about bullying in different parts of the world is critical for our understanding of cross-cultural effects of bullying among nurses. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to examine workplace bullying research among nurses with the focus on sources, antecedents, outcomes and coping responses from a cross-cultural perspective during the years 2001-2019. DESIGN: This is a scoping review of published literature on workplace bullying among nurses. DATA SOURCES: A literature search was conducted using the CINAHL, PubMed, PsychINFO and Web of Science databases. A total of 166 articles provided data from the following cultural clusters: Anglo, Latin Europe, Eastern Europe, Nordic Europe, Middle East, Latin America, Confucian Asia, Southern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. PROCEDURE: Studies were identified through a database search. Relevant data were extracted using a narrative approach. Categories were thematically organized according to the study topics. Cultural differences regarding the variation in the perceptions of and responses to bullying were analysed in relation to the cultural dimensions: power distance, assertiveness, in-group collectivism and performance orientation. RESULTS: Research was mostly conducted in the Anglo cluster. Antecedents and outcomes of bullying were the most often studied topics across all cultural clusters. Vertical bullying was most prevalent in higher power distance cultures, whereas horizontal bullying was either more or equally prevalent in lower power distance cultures. The risk of bullying decreased as nurses' length of service and age increased in most of the clusters. Individual antecedents were more frequently reported in high in-group collectivist cultures. Organizational antecedents such as lack of bullying prevention measures, unsupportive leadership and stressful work characteristics were frequently reported across different cultural clusters. Yet, an organizational culture that tolerates bullying was most commonly addressed in Anglo, a highly performance-oriented culture. Negative outcomes of bullying were very similar across the world. Nurses used emotion-focused coping strategies more frequently almost in all clusters; yet, there were reports of problem-focused coping strategies especially in relatively higher assertiveness cultures. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis revealed both similarities and differences in the nurses' reports of bullying by world region. Cultural factors were found to be important for understanding the variation in the nurses' perceptions of and responses to bullying.

Credence in the Organization's Ability to Respond to Change - Implications on Work Engagement and Job Satisfaction in the Church of Sweden.

As part of society, religious organizations are exposed to contextual conditions and challenges. However, adapting to external conditions is an act of balance since too much compromising may risk having a negative effect on employees' perception of organizational authenticity and, in turn, employees' well-being and attitudes toward work. In this study, we examined how specific characteristics of the work, in terms of job demands (role conflict and emotional demands) and job resources (influence at work and social community at work), as well as employees' credence in the organization's ability to respond to change, relate to employee well-being within the Church of Sweden. In total 2,112 employees (58% participation rate) answered a web-based survey. The results of regression analyses showed that job resources and credence in the organization's ability to respond to change provided a clear contribution to the explanation of variance in work engagement and, especially, job satisfaction. However, the contribution of job demands was less clear. Moreover, to further the understanding of the association between employees' credence in the organization's ability to respond to change and employee well-being, the mediating effect of job resources was tested. The results showed that the association between credence and well-being is in part mediated by job resources. In sum, the study demonstrate that employees' credence in the organization's ability to respond to change is important to consider for understanding employee well-being within religious organizations. In conclusion, our study suggest that organizations that are built up on strong values and institutionalized beliefs, such as religious and faith-based organizations, need to tread carefully in the process of adapting to conformal pressure for change. This, since the actions and choices of the organization are important for employees' credence in the organization and, in turn, employee well-being. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Consequences of cyberbullying behaviour in working life: The mediating roles of social support and social organisational climate.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to explore health- and work-related outcomes of cyberbullying behaviour and the potential mediating role of social organisational climate, social support from colleagues and social support from superiors. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Altogether 3,371 respondents participated in a questionnaire study. FINDINGS: The results of this study indicate that social organisational climate can have a mediating role in the relationship between cyberbullying behaviour and health, well-being, work engagement and intention to quit. Contrary to earlier face-to-face bullying research, the current study showed that cyberbullying behaviour had stronger indirect than direct relationships to health, well-being, work engagement and intention to quit. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Communication through digital devices in work life is becoming more prevalent, which in turn increases the risk for cyberbullying behaviour. Organisations need therefore to develop occupational health and safety policies concerning the use of digital communication and social media in order to prevent cyberbullying behaviour and its negative consequences. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Cyberbullying behaviour among working adults is a relatively unexplored phenomenon and therefore this study makes valuable contribution to the research field.

Feeling double locked-in at work: Implications for health and job satisfaction among municipal employees.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to examine the double locked-in phenomenon at work (i.e., being in a non-preferred occupation and non-preferred work place), and its associations to psychological health, physical health and job satisfaction. METHODS: A total of 136 municipal employees who visited a career coaching center (response rate 59%) participated in the questionnaire study. RESULTS: The results showed that 61% of the participants were double locked-in and half of them perceived rather much or very much stress. Multiple regression analyses showed that a feeling of being double locked-in predicted psychological health (GHQ-12) and job satisfaction, even after optimism and perceived stress were controlled for, whereas double locked-in did not predict physical health. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the locked-in phenomenon and its underlying causes and consequences need to be studied further in future research. To counteract the negative effects of the double locked-in phenomenon it is important to facilitate employees' mobility in different ways.

Collective and individualistic coping with stress at work.

In the present study, coping was viewed as both an individualistic and a collective phenomenon, and the investigation assessed how use of collective and individualistic coping strategies was related to sex of respondent and organizational level. These strategies were measured by responses to Swedish versions of the Strategic Approach to Coping Scale and the COPE Inventory. Data were collected by means of an Internet-based questionnaire completed by 950 female (n = 502) and male (n = 448) employees at both the managerial (n = 171) and nonmanagerial (n = 764) levels, working in customer service in a Swedish telecom company. The mean age of the participants was 47 yr. (SD = 9.7). Analysis showed women more often used collective strategies, but so also did both women and men managers. Men did not use problem-focused individualistic coping strategies more often than women. No interactions between sex and organizational level were found. Separate analyses for women and men indicated that coping was more related to organizational level than to sex.

Constructions of work stress and coping in a female- and a male-dominated department.

In the present study the nature of stress and coping was investigated and considered as socially constructed. Thirty small group interviews were performed using the Critical Incident Technique in one female- and one male-dominated customer service department of a telecom company. The main themes about stress among both women and men were often expressed as collective phenomena and were connected to the organizational change and downsizing process, problems when carrying out the work and lack of autonomy. However, a striking difference between female and male interviews was found in the way that women to a greater extent expressed lack of autonomy and their working situation was described as strictly regulated. The findings illustrate that a traditional gender difference regarding autonomy could be found when comparing a female- and a male-dominated department even though they were performing the same type of job. Both women and men portrayed coping as a mixture of collective and individual strategies. They often mentioned collective acceptance, resignation and hardening. There is a need for further research about women and men at work, taking into consideration the interpersonal context and the collective nature of stress and coping.

The demand-control-support model and health among women and men in similar occupations.

The aim of the study was to investigate the main and the interaction effects of the demand-control-support (DCS) model on women's and men's health in a Swedish telecom company. According to the DCS model, work that is characterized by high demands, low decision latitude, and low support decreases health and well-being. Furthermore, control and support are assumed to interact in protecting against adverse health effects of stress. Earlier studies have failed to consider occupational status and gender simultaneously. Questionnaire data from 134 female and 145 male employees in similar occupations were collected. Correlational analysis supported the main effect hypotheses irrespective of gender. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that only demands predicted women's health, whereas both demands and lack of social support predicted men's health. However, no interaction effects were found for either women or men. Further studies should probe the relevance of the model while considering gender and occupational status.

Coping strategies and health symptoms among women and men in a downsizing organisation.

This study examined how women and men cope with stress during a period of organizational change and how the coping strategies are related to health. Questionnaire responses were obtained from 98 female and male administrators of health care service working in a Swedish governmental County Council during a period of downsizing. In line with earlier studies, the results showed women to be more likely than men to endorse the emotion-focused strategies of Seeking Social Support and Focus on and Venting of Emotions. Contrary to earlier studies the men did not report using problem-focused strategies more frequently than the women. The results of a regression analysis indicated that the reported use of problem-focused strategies did not contribute significantly to the explained variance in health. Instead, the emotion-focused strategy Denial explained a significant proportion of variance in the health problems. No sex differences in reported health problems were found.