Workplace bullying a risk for permanent employees
Dominic Keuskamp1, Anna M Ziersch, Fran E Baum
1Southgate Institute for Health, Society & Equity, Flinders University, South Australia. dominic.keuskamp@flinders.edu.au
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
|April 11, 2012
Summary
Contrary to expectations, permanent employees reported workplace bullying more often than casual employees. Further research is needed to understand psycho-social hazards in all employment types.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Workplace bullying is a significant occupational hazard.
- Casual employment is often hypothesized to increase bullying risk.
- Limited research exists on bullying across diverse employment arrangements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between employment arrangements and workplace bullying.
- To test the hypothesis that casual contract employees face higher bullying risks than permanent employees.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional population-based telephone survey in South Australia (2009).
- Classified employment into permanent, casual, fixed-term, and self-employed categories.
- Used multiple logistic regression to model self-reported bullying, controlling for covariates.
Main Results:
- Workplace bullying reported by 15.2% of respondents.
- Casual workers were significantly less likely to report bullying than permanent or fixed-term employees.
- Higher bullying risk associated with professional occupations, university education, and separation/divorce/widowhood.
Conclusions:
- Workplace bullying was more frequently reported by permanent employees than casual employees, contrary to the initial hypothesis.
- Permanent employment arrangements may involve previously unrecognized psycho-social hazards.
- A comprehensive understanding of psycho-social risks across all employment types, including permanent and casual, is essential.
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