Psychological hardiness as a mediator variable between workplace bullying and job anxiety among early childhood teachers: implications for healthcare

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghada Farghal Gaber Ahmed

Purpose Early childhood teachers play a significant role in building children’s success in their first years of school. Therefore, a healthy early childhood workforce in a healthy working environment is an essential aspect of effective early childhood services. This paper aims to explore the extent to which psychological hardiness can be considered as a mediator variable between exposure to workplace bullying and job anxiety among early childhood teachers. Design/methodology/approach A homogeneous sample comprised of 200 early childhood teachers. For data collection, the researcher used the workplace bullying scale, the psychological hardiness scale and the job anxiety scale among early childhood teachers (prepared by the researcher). Findings The findings indicated that psychological hardiness mediates the relationship between exposure to workplace bullying and job anxiety among early childhood teachers. Originality/value The research result highlighted the necessity of providing counseling programs for early childhood teachers helping them eliminate work stress that affects their job performance. In addition, the kindergarten administration must concentrate on how to effectively communicate and cooperate with early childhood teachers in light of regulations, policies and laws to defeat the spread of workplace bullying. The results of this research contributed to the existing literature by examining the relationship between the research variables, particularly in the early childhood education context.

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 1454-1474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liat Eldor

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between perceptions of learning climate and employee innovative behavior and proficiency. Design/methodology/approach Using robust analysis techniques on data from a sample of 419 employees and their supervisors from four different business and public sector organizations, the author tested the proposed relationships, as mediated by job engagement. Moreover, this mediation effect was examined in the light of sector of employment differences (business vs public). Findings The results were generally consistent with the hypothesized conceptual scheme, in that the indirect relationship between perceptions of learning climate and employees’ innovative behavior and proficiency was mediated by job engagement. However, with regard to sector employment differences, this mediation process was demonstrated among business sector employees only to the relationship between perceptions of learning climate and innovative behavior. When proficiency was included in the mediation model, this mediation effect was evident among public sector employees. Originality/value The research on perceptions of learning climate lacks empirical evidence on its implications for employees’ innovative behavior and proficiency. Although scholars contend that employees’ perceptions of learning climate should enhance their in-role and extra-role performance behaviors, these arguments are mainly non-empirical. Understanding whether perceptions of learning have an impact on employee intra- and extra-role performance behaviors is important, considering that the majority of workplace learning occurs through daily ongoing means that are part of the working environment and previous research results show that structured learning and formal training are less effective in improving employees’ performance at work.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk De Clercq ◽  
Tasneem Fatima ◽  
Sadia Jahanzeb

PurposeThis study seeks to unpack the relationship between employees' exposure to workplace bullying and their turnover intentions, with a particular focus on the possible mediating role of perceived organizational politics and moderating role of creativity.Design/methodology/approachThe hypotheses are tested with multi-source, multi-wave data collected from employees and their peers in various organizations.FindingsWorkplace bullying spurs turnover intentions because employees believe they operate in strongly politicized organizational environments. This mediating role of perceived organizational politics is mitigated to the extent that employees can draw from their creative skills though.Practical implicationsFor managers, this study pinpoints a critical reason – employees perceive that they operate in an organizational climate that endorses dysfunctional politics – by which bullying behaviors stimulate desires to leave the organization. It also reveals how this process might be contained by spurring employees' creativity.Originality/valueThis study provides novel insights into the process that underlies the connection between workplace bullying and quitting intentions by revealing the hitherto overlooked roles of employees' beliefs about dysfunctional politics and their own creativity levels.


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