Exposure to bullying at work: Impact of job satisfaction, organizational commitment and intention to leave

In this article we investigate the individual reactions to workplace bullying exposure. To this end we put forward a conceptual model which is tested on a heterogeneous sample of 6175 employees using a strict confirmatory approach of structural equation modelling The results are twofold. Firstly, workplace bullying leads directly to a decrease in job satisfaction and organisational commitment and to an increase in turnover intentions. Secondly, job satisfaction seems to be a partial mediator between workplace bullying on the one hard and organisational commitment and turnover on the other hand. The dominant process may have 3 phases: lowering job satisfaction as emotional reaction to exposure (1) which is translated into lowering organizational commitment (2) and in turn into increasing turnover intentions.