A study of psychological harassment among public sector workers in Malta

Abstract

The topic of psychological harassment at the workplace is one which is generating an increasing amount of attention in recent years. Although many studies have been done across Europe and North America, very little information is available regarding the local situation. This gap in information provided the motivation behind this study, which set out to investigate psychological harassment among public sector workers in Malta. This quantitative study was conducted by means of an online questionnaire, which was completed by 118 workers. The questionnaire first measured awareness and prevalence of psychological harassment and subsequently, respondents were asked how often they had been victims of bullying in the six months prior to the survey according to a provided definition. Those respondents who responded affirmatively were asked to provide details of the perpetrator. On the whole, a high level of awareness of psychological harassment was reported, with prevalence varying greatly from item to item. When considering exposure to at least one of the negative acts, 25% of respondents were found to be victims of psychological harassment on a regular basis. In contrast, when using the given definition of bullying, this figure dropped to just two per cent. The significant difference between methods indicates that although respondents are exposed to negative acts, they are hesitant to label themselves as victims of psychological harassment. The level of awareness of psychological harassment differed slightly according to the characteristics of the respondents, while that of prevalence (considering respondents who had been exposed to at least one negative act in the six months prior to the survey) differed significantly. Bullies were found to be predominantly male, older than the victim, and occupying a higher position than the victim. The study provides an overview of the situation in the Maltese Public Sector and sets the scene for more detailed research to be carried out in the future in the Private Sector.