In news that will not surprise SafetyNet readers, researchers at the Adelaide University have confirmed that the values and priorities of senior management in relation to workplace psychological safety directly impacts the likelihood of their employees experiencing workplace mistreatment.
Workplace mistreatment, such as bullying and harassment, harms employee mental health (e.g. depression, anxiety, or sleep issues) and costs employers billions in absenteeism, turnover, and compensation claims – estimated at up to $1.97 trillion globally yearly from lost productivity alone. Mistreatment stems from systemic factors like the organisation’s workplace culture, measured in this study as the psychosocial safety climate (PSC).
PSC is the shared perception of employees that their psychological health and safety are valued, protected and supported by senior management, usually via policies and company practices.
The aim of this research is to explore how senior management values influence workplace mistreatment and to extend the understanding of PSC theory to uncover the root causes of mistreatment through an organizational systems lens (organization and work-unit levels; senior managers, supervisors, workers)
This approach addresses gaps in PSC origins, transmission, and interactions with leadership, enabling prevention strategies to be developed for healthy work environments.
The first of two studies undertaken by the research team used data from an Australian public sector survey of 1,341 senior managers, 5,341 supervisors, and 21,996 workers from 33 organizations, focusing on hierarchical structures across organizations, work units, and staff levels (senior managers, supervisors, workers). The key findings of the measurement of PSC, senior management pro-human values, supervisor support, and workplace bullying/harassment revealed:
- Senior management's pro-human values positively influence PSC
- Higher PSC is associated with less bullying and harassment
- Supervisor support at the work-unit level reduces bullying
The second study took a longitudinal, organization-level look at a different Australian public sector jurisdiction, with data across three time points over 12 months. It integrated data from 117 agencies with 2,332 senior managers, 4,718 supervisors, and 26,112 workers. Again, it showed:
- Senior management’s pro-human values predict future PSC
- Higher PSC predicts lower future bullying
- PSC mediates the effect of management values on bullying
Both studies demonstrate that organizational leadership values influence psychosocial safety climate, which in turn impacts workplace mistreatment, highlighting the importance of leadership and climate in reducing bullying and harassment.
This research demonstrates that pro-human values at the top drive organizational climate, which shapes supervisor support and reduces mistreatment. When senior management emphasizes human-centric priorities, this creates a positive climate that encourages supervisors to act against mistreatment, especially when they perceive high organizational PSC. Conversely, low PSC environments hinder supervisors' ability to support employees effectively, increasing mistreatment risks.
All the resilience-building training in the world will not negate the effects of a senior management who prioritise productivity and reject the need for employee-focused psychosocial supports and a robust PSC.
Access the full research article here: The fish rots from the top: how senior management values and priorities shape worker mistreatment through psychosocial safety climate