Increased COVID-19-related workplace bullying during its outbreak: a 2-month prospective cohort study of full-time employees in Japan

Abstract

Objectives: This 2-month cohort study aimed to investigate the changing prevalence and factors associated with COVID-19-related workplace bullying among the general workers in Japan. Methods: A baseline survey was conducted of 4,120 full-time workers at Time 1 (March 2020) and they were invited to a follow-up survey at Time 2 (May 2020) after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Japan. The prevalence of COVID-19-related workplace bullying was compared between Time 1 and Time 2 by using McNemar's test. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the associations between occupation (health care and non-health care workers), socioeconomic status, living in areas under the national emergency announcement, workplace measures against COVID-19, occupational class, chronic physical comorbidities, chronic mental comorbidities, and COVID-19-related workplace bullying at Time 2, adjusting for that at Time 1. Results: A total of 1,421 responded to the survey at Time 2. Data from 996 respondents after excluding 36 who retired during the follow-up were analyzed. The prevalence of COVID-19-related workplace bullying increased more than double from Time 1 (2.8%) to Time 2 (6.5%). Being a manual worker (OR = 3.80), having higher education (OR = 2.37), and having chronic physical comorbidity (OR = 2.11) was significantly associated with the COVID-19-related workplace bullying at Time 2. Conclusions: COVID-19-related workplace bullying increased during the outbreak of COVID-19 in Japan. A lower-class occupation (manual workers) and having chronic physical comorbidity may be associated with greater victimization of COVID-19-related workplace bullying, while those with high educational attainment may be more sensitive to it.

COVID-19-Related Workplace Bullying and Customer Harassment Among Healthcare Workers Over the Time of the COVID-19 Outbreak

“…HCWs had a significantly higher prevalence of COVID-19- related WBH than non-HCWs at T2 (May 2020), as we already reported earlier 13 . The present study additionally found that the prevalence of COVID-19-related WBH was non-significantly but consistently greater among HCWs than non-HCWs at T3 (August 2020) and T4 (November 2020).…”

“…The distinction of the settings (community or workplace) and types of perpetrators (from someone within the workplaces, such as supervisors/colleagues, or someone from outside of the organization, such as customers or patients) is important because the legal and ethical frameworks for developing countermeasures to prevent WBH are different depending on these characteristics of WBH 12 . We previously reported that the prevalence of COVID-19-related WBH among HCWs was 6.3% and 9.9%, respectively, as measured early (March 2020) and in the middle (May 2020) of the first outbreak of COVID-19 in Japan, and that the prevalence for HCWs was greater than for non-HCWs 13 . Another previous study reported the prevalence of COVID-19-related customer harassment experienced by HCWs was 10.8% 14 .…”

“…Previous studies, including ours, addressed COVID-19-related WBH among HCWs only in an early phase of the COVID-19 outbreak (before May 2020). 10,13 Further research is needed to investigate changing patterns of COVID-19-related WBH and customer harassment experienced by HCWs during later outbreaks.…”

“…The purpose of the present study was to investigate changes in prevalence of COVID-19-related WBH and customer harassment among HCWs, compared to non-HCWs, over the course of the second and third COVID-19 outbreaks in Japan (March to November 2020), expanding our previous report in the early phase of the outbreak. 13…”

Análisis De Riesgos Psicosociales en Una Empresa De Software Durante La Covid-19

“…Otra variable es la violencia laboral, ésta puede presentarse como bullying o intimidación, donde los empleados son agredidos constantemente de manera psicológica o física, haciendo que se sientan constantemente atacados y con estrés (Tracy et al, 2006). El modelo de teletrabajo traído por el COVID-19 ha agravado la situación del acoso cibernético en empleados (Iida et al, 2021). Respecto a la interferencia trabajo-familia, la literatura contempla múltiples situaciones en las que los modelos de trabajo causan conflicto con la vida personal (Piotrowski et al, 2020).…”