Lately, work-related stress has become one of the most common problems of the 21st century. As a result, this issue has a considerable effect not only on the physical and mental health of individuals but also productivity of various organizations. In fact, the inability to maintain a healthy work-life balance can be considered one of the main contributors to the development of this problem. Most frequently, employees highlight that they experience stress due to poor organization, high levels of pressure, and lack of support from managers. However, bullying has only joined the list of primary causes of work-related stress in the past several decades. It is employers’ duty to create a friendly and supportive working environment, although they frequently fail to achieve this goal. As a result, employees are negatively impacted by workplace bullying, even though the consequences of this issue mainly depend on the coping mechanism used by the certain person.
Thus, someone who uses a poor coping mechanism in terms of bullying is expected to experience a vast amount of stress. People have a tendency to rely on one or two coping strategies and those who rely on generally poor coping strategies, such as denying the stressor exists, are going to experience more stress. Extraverts also tend to experience lower stress than do introverts, likely because extraversion includes a degree of positive thinking and extraverts interact with others, which helps buffer the effect of stressors. People with a positive self-concept are more confident and in control when faced with a stressor. In other words, they tend to have a stronger sense of optimism.
In order to determine the connection between bullying and workplace stress, numerous research studies were conducted. Some of them provide information that bullying is not associated with the quality of work performed by a specific employee, whereas others highlight that it is impossible to work to the fullest extent in the bullying environment. Critical analysis of thematic research studies is expected to demonstrate the significance of this workplace issue in modern society, as well as potential trends associated with this problem. Therefore, it is essential to take into consideration articles intended to analyze the problem of work-related stress and its link with bullying in order to minimize the negative effect on the health of individuals and the productivity of organizations.
One of the best analyses of relationships between workplace stress and bullying has been done in the research study called “Bullying and Work-Related Stress in the Irish Workplace.” Conducted in 2019, this study provides information about determinants of work-related stress and its influence on the quality of work. When it comes to authors, the article was conducted by John Cullinan, Margaret Hodgins, Victoria Hogan, Michael McDermott, and Sharon Walsh. Subsequently, researchers pay attention to the most common work–life balance initiatives that are predicted to reduce the impact of work-related stress on employee performance. For example, the development of high levels of positive self-evaluation and optimism can significantly minimize the problem of workplace stress linked to bullying.
The article begins by giving a brief overview of the problem and its prevalence in the workplace. Based on the information from the article (Cullinan et al., 2019), over 55 million European workers suffered work-related stress in 2009. However, this number increased rapidly in the next decade. For instance, the percentage of individuals affected the workplace stress increased from 8% in 2010 to 17% in 2015. In the context of the causes of stress highlighted by employees, they mainly included high levels of emotional demands, bullying, and harassment. All of the factors have a considerable influence on the quality of work performed by people, although bullying has recently become one of the primary causes affecting the development of work-related stress.
Any actions that are taken to hurt or isolate a person in the workplace can be considered workplace bullying. There are numerous forms that bullying can take in the working environment, although the most common examples of this issue are targeted practical jokes, threats, humiliation, and the spread of malicious rumors. At the same time, it is essential to note that there is a considerable difference between workplace bullying and constructive criticism that is provided by management to enhance employee performance. Criticism can only be regarded as the case of bullying if it is expressed in intimidating or humiliate form. In the context of government regulations, people are not protected from bullying if it is not expressed as physical harm. Accordingly, it is the responsibility of manage
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