Demographic, social and organizational characteristics on the levels of mobbing and single cases of harassment: the multicomplex approach

The article deals with demographic, social and organizational characteristics of mobbing and single cases of harassment. Many papers analyze these characteristics separately. However, according to the authors of this article, it is necessary to evaluate a wide context of workplace mobbing and single cases of harassment to determine the factors affecting the occurrence of the phenomenon. The multi-complex approach to the infl uencing conditions is necessary for corporate managers, making preventive and intervention decisions. The research was carried out using the validated questionnaire “The occurrence of mobbing and single cases of harassment in relations between employees” in the private and public sector organizations of Lithuania. 1,231 respondents, who experienced violence in mutual relations, were surveyed. 867 employees distinguished from the respondents experienced mobbing, and 364 employees experienced single cases of harassment. The results of this research explain the spread of mobbing and single cases of harassment in organizations of different sizes and types, its dynamism. They also allow showing that the unmanaged process has a tendency to intensify over time. Two largest risk zones of mobbing and single cases of harassment related to the age and length of service have been highlighted: the fi rst and largest one is a start of professional career; the second is the pre-retirement age. Marital status doesn’t have any statistically signifi cant infl uence on becoming a victim of mobbing and single cases of harassment, although a slightly higher number of victims, who are divorced or haven’t created a family, were found. The relationship between the size of the organization and the occurrence of mobbing and single cases of harassment was found. The position of the victim of harassment and mobbing in the organization is conditioned by systemic causes related to internal conditions determined by the organizational policy. The article presents only a part of the research results. This part of the research allows the formation of socio-demographic view of the victim of mobbing and single cases of harassment in the organization, distinguishing the infl uencing factors under individual characteristics. The research was conducted only in one country, so the data should be tested by the cases of other countries