Occupational Medicine & Health Affairs
Open Access

Well-known scientists agree that bullying at work means harassing, insulting, or socially excluding someone over a long period of time [1]. The general denominator of the definition of bullying is repeated and systematic exposure to negative behavior. Studies show that WB threatens the physical and mental health of employees in the workplace [2]. Over the last decade, researchers have begun to look for theoretical frameworks that more accurately explain why various environmental characteristics are associated with a higher risk of bullying, giving them a better understanding of the WB phenomenon. For example, researchers use various stress models such as the Job Demand Control model [3]. Job demand resources model and role stress, showing that stress makes employees vulnerable to WB [4]. However, the stress of high work demand and lack of control, support, or resources is not the only route to the vulnerability. Injustice experience has also been reported to be a major stressor in the workplace. Consistent with the idea that work-related stress can cause bullying and that unfair recognition is an important stress factor, the Effort Reward In-balance (ERI) model understands reports of exposure to WB in this study. Find out if it helps. Effort Reward's imbalance model and bullying

In the ERI model, work-related stress is conceptualized as a lack of impartiality in the interrelationship between the effort spent at work and the rewards received. Therefore, this model addresses social reciprocity and reflects distributive justice in the workplace. In the model, effort means the demands and obligations faced by employees and the rewards they expect for money, gratitude, and career opportunities (or employment security) in return not only from the employer but also from society increase whole. The ERI hypothesis states that it is the combination of high effort and low reward (imbalance between effort and reward) that increases the risk of health problems more than the risk associated with either component alone. The experience of lack of reciprocity creates negative emotions for employees. In the long run, this increases the susceptibility of the autonomic nervous system to illness due to the sustained stress response [5]. Like other stress models, he argues that ERI can be a risk factor for bullying. According to previous research, work stressors can increase the risk of bullying through a variety of mechanisms. For example, inefficient management of stress and frustration can lead to employee misconduct. This includes, for example, reducing workload, constant whining, and withdrawing from social interactions. Such behavior can, in turn, lead to retaliation and sacrifice from colleagues and superiors who seek to manage or punish the employee in question [6]. Also, as mentioned earlier, stress resulting from an imbalance between effort and reward can lead to mental health problems, which have been shown to increase the risk of being a victim of bullying later.

Despite their similarities, different stress models are incompatible, but complement each other and reflect slightly different aspects of the psychosocial work environment [7]. For example, the Job Demand Control model emphasizes task-level control, while the ERI model emphasizes the compensation that employees receive. According to the ERI model, rewards reflect distributive fairness. This refers to how employees perceive the fairness of the outcome to their contributions [8]. It is unfair to be rewarded for your efforts to lack career opportunities, little prospect of financial growth, or lack of awareness of colleagues and managers. In addition, if an employee's efforts are underpaid, he or she can inform colleagues or superiors that the employee's social status and management support is low [9]. Low (social) power can be seen as an obvious risk factor, as the imbalance of power between the perpetrator and the victim is an important part of the definition of bullying [10].

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