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Published in: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health 8/2016

01-11-2016 | Original Article

Exposure to negative acts and risk of turnover: a study of a register-based outcome among employees in three occupational groups

Authors: Thomas Clausen, Jørgen V. Hansen, Annie Hogh, Anne Helene Garde, Roger Persson, Paul Maurice Conway, Matias Grynderup, Åse Marie Hansen, Reiner Rugulies

Published in: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health | Issue 8/2016

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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate whether self-reported exposure to negative acts in the workplace (bullying and threats of violence) predicted turnover in three occupational groups (human service and sales workers, office workers and manual workers).

Methods

Survey data on 2766 respondents were combined with data from a national labour force register to assess turnover. Mixed effects logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between self-reported exposure to negative acts at baseline and risk of turnover after a 1-year follow-up.

Results

We found no significant associations between exposure to negative acts (bullying and threats of violence) and risk of turnover. When participants were stratified by occupational group and analyses were adjusted for age, gender, tenure and psychosocial working conditions, we found that exposure to bullying predicted risk of turnover in office workers (OR 2.03, 95 % CI 1.05–3.90), but neither in human service and sales workers, nor in manual workers. The association in office workers lost statistical significance when additionally adjusted for depressive symptoms (OR 1.77, 95 % CI 0.90–3.49). However, in a sensitivity analysis in which we used a 2-year (instead of a 1-year) follow-up period the association between bullying and turnover remained statistically significant in office workers even after adjusting for depressive symptoms (OR 2.10, 95 % CI 1.17–3.76). We found no statistically significant associations between threats of violence and risk of turnover in the stratified analyses.

Conclusion

Exposure to bullying predicted risk of turnover among office workers but not among human service and sales workers and among manual workers. Threats of violence were not associated with turnover in any occupational group.
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Metadata
Title
Exposure to negative acts and risk of turnover: a study of a register-based outcome among employees in three occupational groups
Authors
Thomas Clausen
Jørgen V. Hansen
Annie Hogh
Anne Helene Garde
Roger Persson
Paul Maurice Conway
Matias Grynderup
Åse Marie Hansen
Reiner Rugulies
Publication date
01-11-2016
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health / Issue 8/2016
Print ISSN: 0340-0131
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1246
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-016-1161-3

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