Title:
A public or private matter? Sectoral patterns in workplace bullying in Ireland

Abstract:
In Ireland, as elsewhere, bullying has been firmly established as a significant issue for contemporary workplaces, and the public sector in particular where research suggests that workers are more likely to report bullying than in the private sector (Hoel & Cooper, 2000; Zapf et al. 2003; O’Connell & Williams, 2002; O’Connell et al., 2007). Bullying is often perceived as primarily an interpersonal conflict and not a ‘normal’ industrial relations issue. However, recent research problematises this assumption by increasingly highlighting the importance of job and organisational factors, such as job intensification and organisational change, on the likelihood of a person reporting bullying. In addition, a comprehensive understanding of bullying, like industrial injury, must arguably take account of its social production and broader institutional context (Nichols, 1997). This paper investigates along three main lines of enquiry in order to address this central research question: why are workers in the public sector more likely to report bullying than those in the private sector? First, research has increasingly found that bullying is more likely to be reported in organisations undergoing change (O’Moore et al., 1998; Hoel & Salin, 2003; O’Connell & Williams, 2002; Harvey et al., 2006). Research in Ireland attests to the greater perception of organisational change in the public sector, compared to the private sector (O’Connell et al., 2003) and this may be one possible explanation as to the higher reported levels of bullying in this sector. Second, the paper explores the importance of the institutional framework, for example, formal policies and procedures, in influencing the extent to which bullying is recognised as a legitimate grievance in the workplace (McCarthy & Mayhew, 2004). The public sector by virtue of its proximity to Government is likely to well-developed policies and greater sensitivity to bullying than the private sector. Research has shown that familiarity with legislation on workplace bullying and the likelihood of having both informal and formal policies is greater in the public sector (O’Connell et al., 2007). The present paper suggests that there are therefore important differences in how bullying is recognised as a legitimate type of workforce harassment in the public and private sector which may therefore effect reporting rates. Third, whether the expected differences in job mobility, and job security, in the public and private sector affect the reporting rates in these sectors. Researchers have suggested that it is the job characteristics within the public sector, for example, permanent contracts and longer tenure, which may explain the higher reported levels of bullying (Zapf et al., 2003). Public sector workers may be less likely than private sector workers to seek alternative employment elsewhere if they perceive inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. To explore why workers in the public sector are more likely to report bullying than in the private sector, I draw on a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of workers in Ireland specifically addressing the issue of workplace bullying. In addition, I also draw on a nationally representative survey of Irish employers in both the public and private sector. Both surveys were conducted in 2007