Workplace bullying partially mediates the climate-health relationship

Purpose: The paper seeks to validate a structural model wherein workplace bullying is depicted as related to health by way of mediating the relationship between organizational climate with health. Design/methodology/approach: Over 700 Japanese employees completed a shorter version of the Majer D'Amato organizational questionnaire 10, the Negative Acts Questionnaire Revised and the Center for Epidemiologic Study for Depression. Lifestyle variables (alcohol consumption and sleeping hours) were also collected from participants. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesis. Findings: A model of bullying at work was developed which incorporated relationships among organizational and health factors. Workplace bullying partially mediated the climate-health relationship. Originality/value: The model developed within this paper integrates prior theoretical work on workplace bullying and helps researchers and organizations understand the process through organizational risk factors that might have a negative association with employees' health. Further, this paper contributes an understanding of workplace bullying in a non-Western context.