How Job Demands and Resources Relate to Experiences of Bullying and Negative Acts among University Employees

Abstract

This article addresses a gap in the work psychology literature regarding psychosocial working conditions and bullying among staff in academic organizations. We examine the influences, institutional demands, and resources attached to given academic positions, such as how the level of social support and cooperation influence the level of experienced negative acts at work and bullying in different work groups in an academic work environment. We also examine whether some professions or positions in an academic organization are more vulnerable due to organizational structure, perceived and experienced resources, and demands to bullying or experiencing more negative acts at work. A common division of different employees in the university sector is between administrative/technical staff and scientific personnel. Our hypothesis in this study is that there are significant differences among these two groups regarding levels of experienced social support and cooperation, as well as levels of experienced negative acts at work. We postulate that differences in job demands and resources lead to significantly different levels of self-reported bullying for the two main groups of personnel. We expect scientific personnel to be more exposed to negative acts at work and bullying due to differences in the demands and resources associated with these positions.