Impact of Workplace Bullying on Mental Well-being among Private Sector Employees

Abstract

Bullying in the workplace is deemed as a significant contributor to occupational stress that can negatively impact a worker's psychological state. This research investigated the connection between workplace bullying and mental well-being of employees working for private organizations. The research design used in the current study was quantitative correlational research with a cross-sectional design. A total of 100 participants were recruited from the private sector by convenience method of sampling. The Workplace Bullying Scale (WBS) and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) were used to collect data from the respondents. The data was then analyzed using simple linear regression method and Pearson correlation analysis. The results of the research showed a negative correlation between workplace bullying and mental health meaning that higher levels of bullying at the workplace leads to lower levels of mental health of the employees. Simple linear regression also indicated that workplace bullying negatively predicted the mental health level. Based on the unstandardized coefficient, it was found that an increase in the level of workplace bullying by one unit decreases the level of mental well-being by 0.157 units. The results show the relevance of addressing workplace bullying in order to create healthy and supportive environment aimed at mitigating bullying and promoting employee mental well-being.