An exploration of gender and workplace bullying in New Zealand

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (8) ◽  
pp. 1385-1395
Author(s):  
Dianne Gardner ◽  
Maree Roche ◽  
Tim Bentley ◽  
Helena Cooper-Thomas ◽  
Bevan Catley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Workplace Bullying ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Power Imbalance ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Male Clients ◽  
Gender And Power

PurposeWorkplace bullying involves a power imbalance, and despite laws in New Zealand which prohibit discrimination on the grounds of gender, women remain under-represented in top-level roles. The aim of the study was to examine whether gender and role (managerial/non-managerial) were related to the bullying experienced by women and men.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey collected data from 991 (41%) men and 1,421 (59%) women. The survey provided a definition of bullying and asked participants whether they had been bullied at work. If they replied yes, then follow-up questions asked for the gender and role of the perpetrator.FindingsWomen were more likely than men to self-identify as having been bullied. Male employers, senior managers, middle managers, supervisor and peers bullied men and women about equally, whereas women bullied women far more than they bullied men. The largest group of bullies of women were female peers, who rarely bullied male peers, while male peers bullied both genders about equally. Female clients bullied female staff but almost never male staff; male clients bullied both men and women but the numbers were small.Research limitations/implicationsThese data relied on self-report, and people may be reluctant to identify themselves as targets or may not recognize that the negative behaviours they have been facing amount to bullying. Qualitative data can help explore these issues from societal, organizational and policy perspectives.Practical implicationsWhile men and women may differ in how often they recognize or admit to having been bullied, the gendered nature of power in the workplace is well established and reinforced in the findings here. It is clear that organizational leaders, both male and female, need to understand gender and power imbalance and act as role models. Currently, the authors’ findings show that the behaviour of at least some of those at the top of New Zealand organizations needs to improve.Social implicationsThe problem of bullying at work will not be easy to solve. The solutions lie, not with “fixing” individuals via training, stress management and well-being programmes but with effective systems, procedures, policies and leadership that recognize the power dynamics at work.Originality/valueLittle is known at present about the relationships between gender and bullying behaviour. The paper focusses on who bullies whom in the workplace and finds that men tend to bully both men and women while women tend to bully women. Importantly, the authors’ works suggest that instead of structural and organizational measures to manage bullying, greater initiatives to manage bullying need to consider how gender and power dynamics interact at work.

The impact of workplace bullying on hotel employees’ well-being

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 1702-1719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fu-Sung Hsu ◽  
Yuan-an Liu ◽  
Sheng-Hshiung Tsaur
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Justice ◽  
Workplace Bullying ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Workplace Friendship ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Hotel Employees ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the moderating effects of organizational justice and workplace friendship on the relationship between workplace bullying and hotel employees’ well-being.Design/methodology/approachThe research sample included 310 entry-level employees of international tourism hotels in Taiwan. This study adopted hierarchical regression for data analysis.FindingsThe study found that workplace bullying negatively impacted on hotel employees’ well-being. Organizational justice and workplace friendship had significantly positive effects on hotel employees’ well-being. Compared with workplace friendship, organizational justice had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between workplace bullying and hotel employees’ well-being.Originality/valueIn the research fields of hospitality, past studies failed to use organizational justice and workplace friendship to moderate the relationship between workplace bullying and hotel employees’ well-being. This study confirmed that organizational justice could effectively buffer the negative effect of workplace bullying on hotel employees’ well-being.

scholarly journals Decent work: what matters most and who can make a difference?

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 845-861
Author(s):  
Stephen Gibb ◽  
Mohammed Ishaq
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Living Wage ◽  
National Context ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Work Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
What Matters

PurposeWhat matters most for improving work quality and who can make a difference are perennial topics in employee relations research. The literature on work quality provides answers to these with regard to various constructs on a continuum from “soft” to “hard” variables and stakeholders seeking to influence employers who fall short of reasonable expectations with regard to these. A construct of “decent work” with both soft and hard variables was adopted for research and methods which were collaborative and participative with stakeholders in one national context.Design/methodology/approachThe “decent work” construct was operationalised from the literature and refined by collaborative and participative research. Exploring the relative importance of the constituent parts of decent work involved research with a range of stakeholders; employees, employers and advocates. The study involved most prominently low-paid workers, with employers and advocates also engaged through interviews.FindingsPrimarily hard “decent work” variables were identified among employees, primarily soft variables among employers and a mix of hard and soft among advocates. There are some common priorities across these stakeholders.Research limitations/implicationsThe main implication is that to engage a range of stakeholders requires a combination of soft and hard variables to be included in research and policy development. However, generalisation about what matters most and who makes a difference to work quality is intrinsically limited in context and time. In this research, the extent of employer engagement in the collaboration initiated by advocates and concerned most with the experiences of low-paid workers is a limitation.Practical implicationsWhat matters most are a set of soft and hard priorities to engage across stakeholders. Pay is an abiding priority among these and the priority most prominent for many advocates seeking to make a difference through influencing low-paying employers to provide a living wage. While the living wage is a significant focus for work quality, it is not in itself sufficient, as other soft and hard variables in the workplace matter as well. Those who can make a difference are the employers falling short of benchmark standards. Influence on these may emerge through decent work knowledge and skills in management and professional development programmes as well as in initiatives advocating wider adoption of the living wage.Social implicationsProblem areas of work quality, and problem employers, can be influenced by strategies shaping “hard” factors, including legislation. This needs to be complemented and integrated with strategies on “soft” factors, including identifying positive role models on themes of well-being, work–life balance and precarious forms of employment, as well as pay.Originality/valueThe identification of what matters and who can make a difference is based on an original, collaborative, research project, in one national context, offering analytical generalisability about “decent work” and an experience of collaborative research.

The importance of developing confidence and self-esteem in children with a learning disability

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 188-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayley Goleniowska
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Learning Disability ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Worth

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to look at the importance of self-esteem in individuals with a learning disability. Design/methodology/approach – The paper explore ways of developing self-esteem and confidence with simple techniques for parents and carers of those with learning disabilities to try. Findings – Anecdotal examples are given by a mother of a child who has Down's Syndrome. The paper outlines ways parents and professionals can increase the self-worth of individuals with a learning disability through fun play, encouraging relevant social and life skills, even safe risk taking. The paper outlines the need for accepting and praising your child for who they are as well as seeking out positive role models. Originality/value – Self-esteem and confidence are crucial ingredients in giving people with learning disabilities a sense of well-being and of beings valued member of a community. They are also key in keeping depression and loneliness at bay.

scholarly journals Fecal Microbiotas of Indonesian and New Zealand Children Differ in Complexity and Bifidobacterial Taxa during the First Year of Life

2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (19) ◽  
Author(s):  
Blair Lawley ◽  
Anna Otal ◽  
Kit Moloney-Geany ◽  
Aly Diana ◽  
Lisa Houghton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Rural Setting ◽  
First Year ◽  
Natural Ecosystem ◽  
Content Type ◽  
First Year Of Life

ABSTRACT The biological succession that occurs during the first year of life in the gut of infants in Western countries is broadly predictable in terms of the increasing complexity of the composition of microbiotas. Less information is available about microbiotas in Asian countries, where environmental, nutritional, and cultural influences may differentially affect the composition and development of the microbial community. We compared the fecal microbiotas of Indonesian (n = 204) and New Zealand (NZ) (n = 74) infants 6 to 7 months and 12 months of age. Comparisons were made by analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences and derivation of community diversity metrics, relative abundances of bacterial families, enterotypes, and cooccurrence correlation networks. Abundances of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis and B. longum subsp. longum were determined by quantitative PCR. All observations supported the view that the Indonesian and NZ infant microbiotas developed in complexity over time, but the changes were much greater for NZ infants. B. longum subsp. infantis dominated the microbiotas of Indonesian children, whereas B. longum subsp. longum was dominant in NZ children. Network analysis showed that the niche model (in which trophic adaptation results in preferential colonization) of the assemblage of microbiotas was supported in Indonesian infants, whereas the neutral (stochastic) model was supported by the development of the microbiotas of NZ infants. The results of the study show that the development of the fecal microbiota is not the same for infants in all countries, and they point to the necessity of obtaining a better understanding of the factors that control the colonization of the gut in early life. IMPORTANCE This study addresses the microbiology of a natural ecosystem (the infant bowel) for children in a rural setting in Indonesia and in an urban environment in New Zealand. Analysis of DNA sequences generated from the microbial community (microbiota) in the feces of the infants during the first year of life showed marked differences in the composition and complexity of the bacterial collections. The differences were most likely due to differences in the prevalence and duration of breastfeeding of infants in the two countries. These kinds of studies are essential for developing concepts of microbial ecology related to the influence of nutrition and environment on the development of the gut microbiota and for determining the long-term effects of microbiological events in early life on human health and well-being.

Target experiences of workplace bullying on online labour markets

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Premilla D’Cruz ◽  
Ernesto Noronha
Keyword(s):  
Workplace Bullying ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Resources ◽  
Workplace Support ◽  
Empirical Inquiry ◽  
Recommendations For Action

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report a study of bullying on online labour markets (OLMs), highlighting how abuse unfolds in digital workplaces and depicting the trajectory of target resilience. Design/methodology/approach Adopting van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenology, targets’ lived experiences of bullying on OLMs was explored. Data gathered from Indian freelancers located on Upwork via conversational telephonic interviews were subjected to sententious and selective thematic analyses. Findings The core theme of “pursuing long-term and holistic well-being” showed how targets tapped into yet augmented their resilience while navigating the features of OLMs as they coped with their experiences of bullying. The interface between targets’ internal and external resources, including platform support, vis-à-vis the concreteness and permanence of the site as targets asserted agency, sought control and realized positive outcomes while preserving their reputation, relationality, success and continuity was captured. It may be noted that bullying in digital workplaces is exclusively virtual in form. Research limitations/implications Alongside theoretical generalizability, statistical generalizability of the findings should be established. Practical implications Recommendations for action for platforms and targets are forwarded. In particular, the critical role of formal workplace support in influencing employee resilience is emphasized. Originality/value The paper makes several pioneering contributions. First, it reports the first empirical inquiry examining bullying in digital workplaces. Moreover, OLM research on abuse and harassment has not been undertaken so far. Second, it furthers theorization of resilience, especially with regard to workplace antecedents. Apart from identifying the new organizational antecedent of formal workplace support, it uncovers the complexities of resilience. Third, it extends knowledge on workplace cyberbullying, positive outcomes of workplace bullying and OLMs in India.

Well-being could revolutionise New Zealand policies

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Government Policy ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Living Standards ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policy Performance ◽  
Finance Minister ◽  
Liberal Democratic

Significance As finance minister Grant Robinson said, well-being is about “pursuing productive, sustainable, and inclusive economic growth that improves” citizens’ living standards and tackles inequality. This means changing how government policy is made, broadening the range of policy performance indicators government uses. Impacts Forthcoming budgets will prioritise policies that promise improved individual and social outcomes. Well-being will not inevitably be anti-business; some firms (environmental, construction) could be aided by well-being priorities. Well-being is unlikely to relocate policymaking power in government, though new lobbying agendas are likely. If well-being works, other liberal democratic governments could follow, potentially the Scandinavian and Dutch governments.

New Zealand Government’s budgetary response to the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anil K. Narayan ◽  
John Kommunuri
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Public Funding ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Fiscal Policies ◽  
Budget Deficits ◽  
Public Budgeting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Policy Statements ◽  
The Moment

Purpose This paper aims to provide a commentary on how well the New Zealand (NZ) Government has used the budget as a tool to tackle the social and economic problems associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The role of public budgeting as a political instrument is also critiqued. Design/methodology/approach An analysis was carried out of relevant documents that included government policy statements, budgets, news articles and website information on the pandemic. Meaningful interpretation of information and reflections helped provide the basis of the commentary. Findings Public budgeting has a prominent role in addressing a major global crisis. Budgets need to quickly respond to the needs of the moment in saving lives and sustaining people’s well-being, businesses and the economy. In a crisis situation, the social, political and economic factors become crucial determinants of budgetary policy measures. Although strong political leadership is required to deliver budgets under unimaginable circumstances, the ideology of the political party in government can be a powerful predictor of fiscal policies. Crisis budgeting will result in mounting budget deficits and public debts that will take many years for future generations to pay back. Practical implications This paper provides a significant learning for other nations. These lessons will guide budget policymakers to prepare better for potential crisis in the future. Originality/value This paper is original and based on the NZ Government’s budgetary response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be valuable in formulating budget policies and public funding decisions in a major crisis.

How workplace bullying affects nurses’ well-being? The roles of burnout and passive avoidant leadership

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Talat Islam ◽  
Muhammad Ali ◽  
Saqib Jamil ◽  
Hafiz Fawad Ali
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Workplace Bullying ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Passive Avoidant

Purpose This study aims to investigate individual-related consequences of workplace bullying among the health-care section. Specifically, this study examined the mediating role of burnout between workplace bullying and nurses’ well-being. Moreover, passive avoidant leadership is examined as a conditional variable between workplace bullying and burnout. Design/methodology/approach This study collected data from 314 nurses working in various hospitals through a questionnaire-based survey using Google Form in two waves. Findings Structural equation modeling confirmed the negative effect of workplace bullying on nurses’ well-being, whereas burnout mediates this relationship. In addition, passive avoidant leadership was identified as a conditional variable that strengthens the positive association between workplace bullying and burnout. Research limitations/implications Although data for the study were collected in two waves, still cross-sectional design limits causality. Practical implications This study suggests management to focus on developing and implementing counter-bullying rules to avoid the adverse consequences of workplace bullying (e.g. capital loss, recruitment costs, burnout, well-being, etc.). In addition, leaders/supervisors must be trained to fulfill their responsibilities to reduce negative consequences. Originality/value Studies on workplace bullying in high-power distance cultures are scant. Therefore, drawing upon conservation of resource theory, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that has investigated the moderating role of passive avoidant leadership on the association between workplace bullying and burnout.

The investment turn

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney J. Dormer
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Public Investment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Accounting Profession ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Operational Activities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the recently increased use of the word “investment” in the public management discourse. In particular, it examines the implications of this for accounting and public governance. It asks, is that discourse simply concerned to account for “investment” in the efficient provision of public goods and services? Or does it also seek to hold governments, and government agencies, to account for the results they achieve and, more broadly, for their investment in, and stewardship of, the capacity to do so in the future? Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on a range of literature as well as speeches made by both New Zealand politicians and officials to track the emergence and evolution of a discourse in respect of “an investment approach”. As such, the analysis represents a diachronic approach for, as Jäger and Meyer (2009) note: “To identify the knowledge of a society on a topic, the analyst has to reconstruct the genesis of this topic” (p. 46). Findings The initial adoption of “an investment approach” occurred in the context of attempts to gain a clearer focus on, and accountability for, the results of government interventions. Subsequently, a broader, and arguably more classic, conception of public investment has involved a developing focus on changes to the nation’s economic, social and environmental capitals. Both approaches provide significant practical challenges for accounting and the continued relevance of the accounting profession. Research limitations/implications The paper points to an urgent need to engage the accounting profession in debates that extend beyond the adoption of accrual accounting for the control of inputs and the provision of outputs. It is suggested that a future research agenda should focus on how models of well-being, and the public capitals that enable well-being, might be better accounted for and monitored. Originality/value This paper provides an insight into the emergence, spread and ultimate fading of the use of the word “investment” in the public policy discourse in New Zealand. However, it also places that process in a wider development that is focusing on citizens’ well-being. In so doing, it also highlights the challenges for the accounting profession created by the investment turn – whether relating to investment in operational activities or in public capitals.

Reflections on women’s career responsibilities in neoliberally driven universities

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-129
Author(s):  
Sheeba Asirvatham ◽  
Maria Humphries-Kil
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Short Review ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Professional Autonomy ◽  
Social Construction Of Reality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Control ◽  
Radical Feminist ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on career aspirations and experiences explored with senior women organizational scholars employed in neoliberally driven public universities in Aotearoa (New Zealand) legally mandated to serve as a critic and conscience of society. Design/methodology/approach Over the 18 months period, three sequential research conversations were conducted with each of 12 participants known for their commitment to social justice and planetary well-being. The conversational approach allowed for spontaneous participant-lead development of ideas. Sequencing of conversations allowed for reflection on matters raised in previous conversations. Findings Vitality and creativity deemed essential to scholarly careers were reportedly under pressure. Career concepts in use indicate a protean commitment to self-direction but also recognized constraints of institutionally driven neoliberal output regimes. Detrimental impacts of neoliberal values permeating their employing institutions were offered spontaneously often in radical feminist terms but paradoxically given liberal feminist remedies. Research limitations/implications The 12 diverse transcripts of participant conversations generated remarkable similarities that indicate the influence of career articulations on the social construction of reality. The implications of this interpretation invite further reflection on the consequences of normalization of career metaphors and their implication in the intensification of institutional control, the weakening of professional autonomy and the system preserving restriction of career-related responsibilities. Practical implications Highlighting constraints to creativity and vitality necessary for scholarly work can inform further research into professional influences on justice and environmental matters in and beyond the Academy. Social implications In this paper a short review of Aotearoa (New Zealand) as in vanguard of neoliberal intensification globally, the implication of this doctrine in neoliberally driven universities and the impacts on career opportunities, degradations and responsibilities of scholars are explored. Originality/value The conversational research process contrasts with more tightly framed empirical research methods by generating spontaneous participant-led articulations of career-related dynamics explored and expanded over subsequent conversations.

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