Workplace bullying and power relations: Experiences of restaurant workers
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Published
2024-01-17
Juan Collazo-Torres
Sara Santiago-Estrada
Roberto Díaz-Juarbe
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6363-3636
Abstract
Workplace bullying is a social problem that affects work contexts around the world. It is a phenomenon that has received more attention in Puerto Rico in recent years from a public policy perspective. In psychology, several studies have been carried out in this regard, particularly from a quantitative approach. However, few studies have examined the perspective of the subjects who experience bullying and the meaning they assign to it. This study explored from a qualitative framework what were the experiences of restaurant workers in relation to workplace bullying, who were the people involved and how the victims signified their experiences. We found that participants perceived that workplace bullying affected their well-being and that of the organization and they reported feeling stress and post-traumatic stress, worsened sleep quality and work performance, intention to resign, and homicidal thoughts. In addition, bullying experiences predominated in contexts of high inequality of power where victims have little control over their circumstances. In this study, we gave voice to the victims of workplace bullying to problematize the phenomenon. Also, we recommended actions to address it from within and outside industrial organizational psychology and other disciplines.
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Keywords
Workplace bullying, Power imbalance, Experience, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
References
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Ahmad, S., & Sheehan, M. J. (2017). Understanding the lived experience of bullying in Australian workplaces: An interpretative phenomenological analy-sis. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 32(2), 74-98.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15555240.2017.1325327
Brodsky, C. M. (1976). The harassed worker. Lexington Books.
Correa Avilés, J. (2021). Nueva ley de acoso laboral y las guías para el sector privado en Puerto Rico. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, 55, 565-594.
Djurkovic, N. (2018). Workplace bullying in precarious employment. In P. D’Cruz, E. Noronha, L. Keashly & S. Tye-Williams (Eds.), Special topics and particular occupations, professions and sectors (pp. 1-28). Springer Singapore.
Einarsen, S. V., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. L. (2020). Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Developments in theory, research, and practice (3rd ed.). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429462528
Georgo, M. (2021). Media portrayals of workplace bullying. In P. D’Cruz, E. Noronha, L. Keashly & S. Tye-Williams (Eds.), Special topics and particular occupations, professions and sectors. Handbooks of workplace bullying, emotional abuse and harassment (Vol. 4, pp.161-184). Springer. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5308-5_17
Goldberg, S. B. (2020). Harassment, work-place culture, and the power and limits of law. American University Law Review, 70(2), 419–495.
Hallberg, L. R., & Strandmark, M. K. (2006). Health consequences of workplace bullying: Experiences from the perspective of employees in the public service sector. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 1(2), 109-119.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17482620600555664
Leymann, H. (1990). Mobbing and psycholo-gical terror at workplaces. Violence and Victims, 5(2), 119-126.
Leymann, H. (1996). The content and devel-opment of mobbing at work. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5(2), 165–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/13594329608414853
Ley para Prohibir y Prevenir el Acoso Laboral en Puerto Rico, Ley Núm. 90 de 7 de agosto de 2020, 29 LPRA § 3111 (2020). https://www.lexjuris.com/lexlex/leyes2020/lexl2020090.htm
López Paláu, S., & Rivera Cruz, B. (2017). Comparación de la prevalencia del acoso psicológico y otros riesgos psicosociales entre el sector laboral público y privado de Puerto Rico. Revista de Administración Pública, 48, 31-66. https://revistas.upr.edu/index.php/ap/article/view/16017
Martínez-Lugo, M. E. (2006). El acoso psicológico en el trabajo: La experiencia en Puerto Rico. Aletheia, 24, 21–33. http://pepsic.bvsalud.org/pdf/aletheia/n24/n24a03.pdf
McCarty, R. (2016). The fight-or-flight response: A cornerstone of stress research. In G. Fink (Ed.), Stress: Concepts, cognition, emotion, and behavior. Handbook of stress series volume 1 (pp. 33-37). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-800951-2.00004-2
Morales Franceschi, J., Martín Ayala, J. L., Amutio Careaga, A., & Rosario Nieves, I. C. (2021). Acoso psicológico laboral (mobbing) y su impacto en el clima y desempeño laboral en maestros del sistema público de enseñanza del área sur de Puerto Rico. MLS Psychology Research, 4(1), 79-98. https://doi.org/10.33000/mlspr.v4i1.642
Namie, G., & Namie, R. (2018). Risk factors for becoming a target of workplace bullying and mobbing. In M. Duffy & D. C. Yamada (Eds.), Workplace bullying and mobbing in the United States (pp. 53-74). Praeger Press.
Patterson, E., Branch, S., Barker, M., & Ramsay, S. (2018). Playing with power: Examinations of types of power used by staff members in workplace bullying – A qualitative interview study. Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management, 13(1), 32-52.
https://doi.org/10.1108/QROM-10-2016-1441
Roulston, K., & Choi, M. (2018). Qualitative interviews. In U. Flick (Ed.), The SAGE handbook of qualitative data collection (pp. 233-249). SAGE. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526416070
Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2021). Interpretative phenomenological analy-sis: Theory, method and research (2nd ed.). SAGE.
Smith, J. A., & Osborn, M. (2008). Interpretative phenomenological analy-sis. In J. A. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods (pp. 53-80). SAGE. http://doi.org/10.1002/9780470776278.ch10
Walsh, K., & Gordon, J. R. (2008). Creating an individual work identity. Human Resource Management Review, 18(1), 46-61.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2007.09.001
Ahmad, S., & Sheehan, M. J. (2017). Understanding the lived experience of bullying in Australian workplaces: An interpretative phenomenological analy-sis. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 32(2), 74-98.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15555240.2017.1325327
Brodsky, C. M. (1976). The harassed worker. Lexington Books.
Correa Avilés, J. (2021). Nueva ley de acoso laboral y las guías para el sector privado en Puerto Rico. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, 55, 565-594.
Djurkovic, N. (2018). Workplace bullying in precarious employment. In P. D’Cruz, E. Noronha, L. Keashly & S. Tye-Williams (Eds.), Special topics and particular occupations, professions and sectors (pp. 1-28). Springer Singapore.
Einarsen, S. V., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. L. (2020). Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Developments in theory, research, and practice (3rd ed.). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429462528
Georgo, M. (2021). Media portrayals of workplace bullying. In P. D’Cruz, E. Noronha, L. Keashly & S. Tye-Williams (Eds.), Special topics and particular occupations, professions and sectors. Handbooks of workplace bullying, emotional abuse and harassment (Vol. 4, pp.161-184). Springer. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5308-5_17
Goldberg, S. B. (2020). Harassment, work-place culture, and the power and limits of law. American University Law Review, 70(2), 419–495.
Hallberg, L. R., & Strandmark, M. K. (2006). Health consequences of workplace bullying: Experiences from the perspective of employees in the public service sector. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 1(2), 109-119.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17482620600555664
Leymann, H. (1990). Mobbing and psycholo-gical terror at workplaces. Violence and Victims, 5(2), 119-126.
Leymann, H. (1996). The content and devel-opment of mobbing at work. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5(2), 165–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/13594329608414853
Ley para Prohibir y Prevenir el Acoso Laboral en Puerto Rico, Ley Núm. 90 de 7 de agosto de 2020, 29 LPRA § 3111 (2020). https://www.lexjuris.com/lexlex/leyes2020/lexl2020090.htm
López Paláu, S., & Rivera Cruz, B. (2017). Comparación de la prevalencia del acoso psicológico y otros riesgos psicosociales entre el sector laboral público y privado de Puerto Rico. Revista de Administración Pública, 48, 31-66. https://revistas.upr.edu/index.php/ap/article/view/16017
Martínez-Lugo, M. E. (2006). El acoso psicológico en el trabajo: La experiencia en Puerto Rico. Aletheia, 24, 21–33. http://pepsic.bvsalud.org/pdf/aletheia/n24/n24a03.pdf
McCarty, R. (2016). The fight-or-flight response: A cornerstone of stress research. In G. Fink (Ed.), Stress: Concepts, cognition, emotion, and behavior. Handbook of stress series volume 1 (pp. 33-37). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-800951-2.00004-2
Morales Franceschi, J., Martín Ayala, J. L., Amutio Careaga, A., & Rosario Nieves, I. C. (2021). Acoso psicológico laboral (mobbing) y su impacto en el clima y desempeño laboral en maestros del sistema público de enseñanza del área sur de Puerto Rico. MLS Psychology Research, 4(1), 79-98. https://doi.org/10.33000/mlspr.v4i1.642
Namie, G., & Namie, R. (2018). Risk factors for becoming a target of workplace bullying and mobbing. In M. Duffy & D. C. Yamada (Eds.), Workplace bullying and mobbing in the United States (pp. 53-74). Praeger Press.
Patterson, E., Branch, S., Barker, M., & Ramsay, S. (2018). Playing with power: Examinations of types of power used by staff members in workplace bullying – A qualitative interview study. Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management, 13(1), 32-52.
https://doi.org/10.1108/QROM-10-2016-1441
Roulston, K., & Choi, M. (2018). Qualitative interviews. In U. Flick (Ed.), The SAGE handbook of qualitative data collection (pp. 233-249). SAGE. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526416070
Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2021). Interpretative phenomenological analy-sis: Theory, method and research (2nd ed.). SAGE.
Smith, J. A., & Osborn, M. (2008). Interpretative phenomenological analy-sis. In J. A. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods (pp. 53-80). SAGE. http://doi.org/10.1002/9780470776278.ch10
Walsh, K., & Gordon, J. R. (2008). Creating an individual work identity. Human Resource Management Review, 18(1), 46-61.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2007.09.001
How to Cite
Workplace bullying and power relations: Experiences of restaurant workers. (2024). Puerto Rican Journal of Psychology, 34(3), 352-366. https://doi.org/10.55611/reps.3403.05
Section
Artículo de investigación
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How to Cite
Workplace bullying and power relations: Experiences of restaurant workers. (2024). Puerto Rican Journal of Psychology, 34(3), 352-366. https://doi.org/10.55611/reps.3403.05