ABSTRACT
The terms ‘workplace bullying’ and ‘mobbing’ appear to have struck a chord with large sections of the workforce even though there is little unanimity in perception or articulation of the terms among employees (see Liefooghe and Mackenzie Davey, this volume). The interest in the issue may reflect the sheer magnitude of the problem, which, depending upon the definition applied, might directly affect between 5 and 20 per cent of the working population (Hoel and Cooper, 2000; UNISON, 1997). Together with the apparent effects upon individuals and organisations (Einarsen and Mikkelsen, this volume; Hoel, Einarsen and Cooper, this volume), growing concerns about the changing context within which bullying arises can also be considered to play a part in the attention currently paid to the problem. Thus, a number of studies conclude that victims of bullying report a more negative work environment than those who were not bullied (Ashforth, 1994; Björkqvist et al., 1994; Einarsen et al., 1994; Vartia, 1996), and that the worst work environment is associated with those most severely bullied (Zapf et al., 1996b).
