[Enterprise countermeasures against workplace bullying and harassment and their association with prevalence of bullying and harassment, organizational climate, and employee perception of change]

Abstract

Objectives: Although companies are required to implement countermeasures against workplace harassment, their effectiveness has not been verified. Therefore, in this study, we compared employees' awareness of the primary preventive measures or organizational climate and the prevalence of harassment in each company.

Methods: A total of 68 companies in Japan (with a total of approximately 20,000 employees) were targeted. Harassment countermeasures were measured using seven items. Power (11 items), sexual (7 items), maternity (2 items), paternity (2 items), care (1 item), and gender harassment (1 item) were measured. Organizational climate was measured using 10 items comprising subcategories, such as civility, psychological safety, and role clarity. The percentage of employee recognition of anti-harassment measures and organizational climate was divided into three groups (high, medium, and low), and the prevalence of each type of harassment and employees' recognition of changes in the workplace were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test or ANOVA.

Results: In companies where more than 70% of the employees were aware that their company had implemented questionnaire surveys to ascertain the working environment, by displaying posters or providing training along with the establishment of a group-wide general and a compliance consultation service, the prevalence of power and sexual harassment was lower than in companies with lower awareness. However, no difference in the prevalence of power harassment by the employee recognition level could be confirmed with the dissemination of messages by top management, establishment of rules through employment regulations, and the establishment of a consultation service in the company. Regarding organizational climate, the incidence of power and sexual harassment was lower in companies where more than 80% of employees perceived high levels of civility, psychological safety, and role clarity. In addition, the higher the percentage of employees who were aware of the harassment prevention measures implemented by the company, the higher the percentage of employees who felt favorable changes in themselves, their surroundings, and their workplace.

Discussion and conclusion: The harassment rate tended to be lower in companies where more employees were aware of the implementation of anti-harassment measures. The fact that the rate of harassment was lower in companies where there was role clarity and many employees felt psychologically safe suggests that measures focusing on the organizational climate may also be effective in preventing harassment.