Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the consequences of the exposure to workplace aggression from coworkers and clients. Materials and Methods: Participants belonged to two professional groups: nurses (N = 1163) and public service workers (N = 391). Aggression from coworkers and clients/patients was analysed separately. Several multiple regression models were tested to assess the effect of work-related aggression experienced by the subjects on their job satisfaction, professional functioning and mental health status. The frequency and type of violent behaviours against employee was measured by Exposure to Workplace Aggression Questionnaire (EWAQ), level of burnout was determined by Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), mental health status by General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), and the level of work satisfaction was measured by 22-items survey, developed at NIOM Work Psychology Department. In the regression models, several possible confounders were controlled (sex, age, individual direct reaction to aggressive act, and physical health status). Results: Results of our study point to adverse consequences of exposure to aggression at workplace, irrespective of its source. Employees experiencing workplace aggression are less satisfied with work, show symptoms of burnout, and their general health is poorer. Conclusion: We assume that aggression towards coworkers by peers and supervisors, as the phenomenon reflecting quality of long term interpersonal relationships, may affect health and functioning of workers stronger than a single incident in the short term contacts with clients. Aggression from clients usually results in compassion of peers, and it is perceived as the organisational problem that should be solved. On the contrary, dealing with an aggressive coworker usually is perceived as employee's own business and results in the sense of unfairness and isolation.

Background: The results of our research broaden the knowledge concerning the correlates of mobbing. The study is aimed at finding out whether an employee's gender, his/her occupational position and level of occupational stress are related to bullying experience. Material and Methods: 1313 employees of a transport company participated in the study. The relationships between gender, occupational position, the level of stress and bullying were analysed. Bullying was measured by the use of the MDM Questionnaire, while work environment was assessed using the Subjective Assessment of Work Questionnaire. Results: It was found that women were generally more exposed to bullying than men (Z =-1.999; p < 0.05). Women experienced more bullying by their colleagues than men did (Z =-2.712; p < 0.01), in particular: bullying by colleagues that destroys the worker's image (Z =-2.922; p < 0.01) and bullying by colleagues that destroys social relations (Z =-3.004; p < 0.01). Individuals with managerial jobs experienced overall bullying (Z =-2.762; p < 0.01), bullying by colleagues (Z =-0.014; p < 0.05) and bullying by colleagues that destroys social relations (Z =-2.260; p < 0.05) more often than the individuals with non-management positions. The results of the study also indicated that employees with higher level of stress in comparison with less stressed co-workers reported more incidents of bullying behaviour (overall bullying-Z =-8.171; p < 0.001, bullying by colleagues-Z =-7.114; p < 0.001, bullying by supervisors-Z =-6.716; p < 0.001, all types of behaviour-p < 0.001). Conclusions: Comparing the results of our study to the previous research, it seems that the pattern of relationships between individual characteristics and bullying is rooted in the wider cultural context, the specificity of the company, its organisational culture as well as its situation. Therefore it's difficult to talk about irrefutable individual correlates of bullying at work.

Wstęp: Celem badań prezentowanych w artykule było określenie zależności między doświadczaniem mobbingu i wrogich zachowań a występowaniem objawów wypalenia zawodowego u nauczycieli. Materiał i metody: W badaniu zastosowano metodę wywiadu kwestionariuszowego w losowej ogólnopolskiej próbie 1214 nauczycieli. Częstość występowania mobbingu i wrogich zachowań w środowisku pracy była oceniana na podstawie Kwestionariusza MDM ("Mobbing, dręczenie, molestowanie") autorstwa Mościckiej, Drabka i Merecz, opracowanego w Zakładzie Psychologii Pracy Instytutu Medycyny Pracy im. prof. J. Nofera w Łodzi. Do pomiaru wypalenia zawodowego zastosowano Kwestionariusz Wypalenia Zawodowego -Wersja Ogólna (Maslach Burnout Inventory -General Survey -MBI-GS). Wyniki: W badanej grupie 63% nauczycieli doświadczyło niewłaściwego traktowania w miejscu pracy. W przypadku 7% badanych zachowania te zdarzały się tak często i trwały na tyle długo, że spełniały kryteria diagnostyczne mobbingu. U respondentów, którzy doświadczyli wrogich zachowań i mobbingu, istotnie częściej występowały objawy wypalenia zawodowego. Częściej deklarowali oni występowanie objawów wyczerpania emocjonalnego i ich większą intensywność, przyjmowanie postawy charakteryzującej się cynizmem oraz niższe poczucie własnych osiągnięć i skuteczności zawodowej. Wnioski: Wyniki prezentowanych badań wskazują na znaczący odsetek nauczycieli, którzy doświadczają mobbingu i wrogich zachowań w pracy. Prawie co 10. badany nauczyciel doświadczył w trakcie kariery zawodowej mobbingu, a ponad połowa doświadczyła wrogich, uderzających w godność, poniżających i nieetycznych zachowań ze strony kolegów lub przełożonych. Doświadczanie takich zachowań wiązało się z występowaniem objawów wypalenia zawodowego -częściej u nauczycieli, którzy doświadczyli niewłaściwego traktowania w pracy. Wyniki te wskazują na zasadność podejmowania działań prewencyjnych zmierzających do dbałości o dobre relacje interpersonalne w placówkach oświatowych, wzmacniania kompetencji nauczycieli w zakresie umiejętności radzenia sobie z trudnymi sytuacjami międzyludzkimi oraz wprowadzania procedur zabezpieczających przed występowaniem mobbingu i wrogich zachowań.

Objectives:The study has aimed to identify the relations between the supplementary person-organization fit (P-O fit) and the perceived stress among managerial staff, with special regard to the mediating role of the effort-reward balance. Material and Methods:The study sample consisted of 715 middle-level managers, aged 25-64 years old, employed in large companies. To measure the selected variables, the authors used the Questionnaire of Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI), Perceived Stress Scale -10 (PSS-10), and Person-Organization Fit Questionnaire. Results: The regression analysis revealed that the perceived effort-reward imbalance partially mediated the negative relationship between the supplementary person-organization fit and stress. Conclusions: The results suggest that even when the characteristics of the manager and organization are highly congruent, the managers will experience stress if their work involves heavy effort or when this effort is not compensated properly. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(2):305-312

Objectives: Polish Labour Code provides employees with a range of solutions (benefits) supporting them in achieving balance between work and private life. This paper was aimed at indicating availability and the use of legal benefits supporting work-life balance (WLB) among Polish workers of small and medium enterprises. Material and Methods: The study sample included 219 respondents, aged 22-64, working in small and medium enterprises and employed on the basis of employment contracts for at least a year. The respondents completed a questionnaire on availability and the use of benefits guaranteed by the Polish Labour Code, referring to their current workplaces. Results: Most frequently the studied employees took sick leave because of one's own illness and leave on demand. In our sample, 45% of the women took maternity leave and 26% of the men took paternity leave. The respondents took educational and parental leave the least frequently. More than half of the respondents (58%) did not return to the same position after leave devoted to childcare, even though they had such a possibility. Conclusions: In fact, most of work-life balance benefits guaranteed by law were available to the employees of small and medium enterprises, regardless of their gender. Availability and the use of the majority of benefits were similar among the women and men. Availability of benefits depended on the specificity of industry and a profession, thus, future research on work-life balance policy should control for variables related to the character of work.