Job demands, resource deficiencies, and workplace harassment: evidence for micro-level effects

Abstract

Most research examining work environment influences on workplace harassment has focused on organizational (e.g., social climate, culture) and generic job design factors, but this study focused on jobs in situ at the micro level. Specifically, the link between exposure to harassment and role-specific job demands and resources was explored, arguably the most proximal predictors of work-related behavior. Self-report survey data gathered from a cross-section of sworn police officers employed by an Australian police organization indicated that underresourcing for particular role-related tasks increased the likelihood that police Constables (N = 368) and Sergeants (N = 348) were exposed to harassment at work, irrespective of how demanding the task was perceived to be. An exception was in role domains that involve police-offender interactions, where the likelihood of experiencing harassment was associated with perceptions of higher demands rather than with inadequate resourcing. Our findings suggest that harassment may have its genesis in lack of resources (e.g., budget, time, people, vehicles, computers, office equipment, training, and operational equipment) at the micro level, highlighting the importance of examining demand and resource variables unique to different organizational settings. Practical implications include the need for general increases in concrete resources for frontline police officers as well as the need to further explore and counteract the demands associated with police-offender interactions. © 2012 American Psychological Association.