The questionnaire for diagnosing mobbing in employees’ relationships

Figures & data

Table 1. Characteristics of the methodological quality of the dimensions of communication interferences in employees’ relationships.

Test subscales	N items	Explained dispersion %	Cronbach’s alpha	Spearman-Brown	Factorial weight (L)			Item-total correlation (r/itt)
					Mean	Min	Max	Mean	Min	Max
Communication	11	36.12	0.85	0.79	0.59	0.41	0.78	0.34	0.06	0.86
Isolation	5	59.17	0.89	0.88	0.77	0.67	0.81	0.58	0.25	0.82

Source: Authors’ calculations.

Table 2. The results of the secondary factorial analysis of the scale of communication interferences in employees’ relationships.

Test subscales	Principal components (model of Factor 1) F1	Alpha factoring F1
Isolation	0.94	0.87
Communication	0.94	0.87
Explained dispersion	87.74%	75.41%

Source: Authors’ calculations.

Table 3. The characteristics of methodological quality in dimensions of negative opinion formation and task character.

Test subscales	N items	Explained dispersion %	Cronbach’s alpha	Spearman-Brown	Factorial weight (L)			Item-total correlation (r/itt)
					Mean	Min	Max	Mean	Min	Max
Reputation	15	37.36	0.89	0.86	0.60	0.36	0.73	0.35	0.03	0.76
Tasks	8	46.05	0.88	0.78	0.68	0.58	0.79	0.45	0.08	0.82

Source: Authors’ calculations.

Table 4. The results of the secondary factorial analysis on the scale of negative opinion formation and work character.

Test subscales	Principal components (model of Factor 1) F1	Alpha factoring F1
Tasks	0.90	0.80
Reputation	0.90	0.80
Explained dispersion	81.77%	63.44%

Source: Authors’ calculations.

Table 5. The characteristics of methodological quality in the dimensions of the employees’ physical state and consequences.

Test subscales	N items	Explained dispersion %	Cronbach’s alpha	Spearman-Brown	Factorial weight(L)			Item-total correlation (r/itt)
					Mean	Min	Max	Mean	Min	Max
Health	5	44.90	0.83	0.81	0.65	0.38	0.81	0.41	0.09	0.79
Harm	3	60.54	0.85	−	0.77	0.67	0.83	0.58	0.32	0.86

Source: Authors’ calculations.

Table 6. The results of the secondary factorial analysis of employees’ physical state and consequences scale.

Test subscales	Principal components (model of Factor 1) F1	Alpha factoring F1
Harm	0.88	0.74
Health	0.88	0.74
Explained dispersion	77.56%	55.03%

Source: Authors’ calculations.

Table 7. The results of the scale’s secondary factorial analysis of nagging and sneering actions within the organisation.

Test subscales	Principal components (model of Factor 1) F1	Alpha factoring F1
Reputation	0.88	0.87
Communication	0.85	0.79
Isolation	0.80	0.74
Health	0.77	0.73
Tasks	0.75	0.70
Harm	0.60	0.52
Explained dispersion	60.94%	53.66%

Source: Authors’ calculations.

Table

Test scales	Test subscales	Number of items in the scale	Number of items in the subscale		Numeration of items and/or questions in the questionnaire
I. Mobbing features, prevention and intervention	1.1. Identification of mobbing phenomenon	5	11		1, 2, 3, 4, 5 questions
	1.2. Measures to diminish mobbing phenomenon	6			6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 questions
II. Communication interferences in employees’ relations	2.1. Communication	11	16		12.1–12.11 items
	2.2. Isolation	5			12.12–12.16 items
III. Formation of negative opinion and work character	3.1. Reputation	15	23		12.17–12.31 items
	3.2. Tasks	8			12.32–12.39 items
IV. Employees’ physical state and consequences	4.1. Health	5	8		12.40–12.44 items
	4.2. Harm	3			12.45–12.47 items
V. Socio-demographic characteristics			10		13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 questions

Table

I. Mobbing features, prevention and intervention
Questions	Specification
1.1. Identification of mobbing phenomenon
1. Have you experienced harassment, bullying in your work?	This question is aimed to disassociate from the respondents who have not experienced harassment in their work
Yes
No
If you answered ‘No’, do not fill in the questionnaire; answer the 1st and 13th questions only	When the questionnaire is used by filling in its electronic version, this insertion is necessary to be able to identify what distribution of the respondents who have participated in the survey is according to the fields of professional activityThis insertion is aimed to identify how many respondents have searched for the information in the specialised website www.mobingas.lt and have opened the questionnaire
2. If yes, how long has the harassment (bullying) taken place?	This question is aimed to identify whether in respect of duration the respondent has experienced harassment or mobbing. That is up to six months (referring to the definition of H. Leymann) it would be identified that the employee has experienced harassment; if 6 months and more, it is possible to assume that the employee experiences mobbing (subject to what answer will be to the 3rd question)
Up to six   months Six months and more Other (please, specify) ……………	The variant of the answer ‘Other’ is aimed for the respondent to write in important additional information at discretion, for example, that the harassment lasted for more than several successive years
3. How often has harassment (bullying) taken place?	The frequency of harassment is identified by means of this question
Not less than once a week	According to the definition of H. Leymann, in case of mobbing, harassment has to reoccur not less than once a week. In exceptional cases the frequency can be not so intensive or vice versa – particularly intensive. Thus, the option of the answer ‘Other’ has been included, so the respondent can indicate, for example, that harassment occurs every day or every other week
Less than once a week
Other (please, specify) ……………
	For example, it has become evident that the victim had been intensively attacked; however, according to the classical definition, he/she could not have been named as a person experiencing mobbing because he/she has been working by the rolling schedule, which influenced his/her meetings with the aggressor
4. Who was a harasser, bully?	In order to identify the direction of harassment (horizontal, vertical, horizontal and vertical) for positions have been distinguished: horizontal (one employee against another), horizontal (several colleagues against one employee), vertical (the manager against his/her subordinate or the subordinate against the manager), horizontal and vertical (the manager and colleagues together). This question does not aim to identify staffing when subordinates conspire against the female manager
A colleague
Several colleagues
The manager
Both the manager and colleagues
5. How have you reacted to harassment (bullying)? Indicate all suitable variants:	The respondent is suggested to name several answers, and if there is no suitable answer – to write his/her own answer. The presented variants of the answers are stereotyped; thus, the reaction of the employee written into the variant ‘Other’ can be very useful in extending (specifying) the competence of the victim to deal with the problem, his/her behaviour model
I haven’t done anything
I have asked to stop
I have informed the manager
I have addressed a psychologist
I have addressed a psychotherapist
I have told a colleague (colleagues)
I have asked to be moved away from the harasser (harassers)
I have addressed the trade-union
I have taken legal advice
I have told friends, family members
I have handed the written a resignation letter
Other (please, specify) ……………
1.2. Measures to diminish mobbing phenomenon
6. Who has provided you with support and help?	As the previous question has aimed to identify the acts of the victim when he/she had experienced harassment, this question aims to identify the person who has provided help. The comparison of the 5th and 6th question is particularly significant because it is important to find out whether the victim has got assistance, for example, from the manager if he/she addressed namely the manager, etc
Indicate all suitable answers:
The manager
Psychologist
Psychiatrist
Trade-union
Lawyer (attorney)
Friends, family
Other (please, specify) ……………
7. Have any actions been taken to prevent bullying, harassment?	Independent of whether the assistance has been provided (the 6th question), it is necessary to identify whether the victim knows about the actions, which had been taken (or not) to prevent the mobbing phenomenon in the organisation
Yes
No
I don’t know
	If the variant of the answer ‘I don’t know’ is chosen, it is identified that the victim has not been informed about the actions taken to prevent workplace mobbing
	This shows not only the presence or absence of the feedback, but also notes about communication, policy of publicity, which are relevant to overcome mobbing
If you have answered this question ‘No’, proceed to the 11th question	If the previous question has been answered negatively, the 8th, 9th and 10th questions are not to be answered. So the respondent proceeds to the 11th question
8. If YES, who has taken the actions?	If the 7th question is answered positively, the respondent is asked to specify who had taken the actions with the purpose to compare with what has been identified previously, i.e. the reaction of the victim to harassment (the 5th question), the rescuer (the 6th question)
The manager
Colleagues
Trade-union
Law enforcement authorities
	The list is not final
Other (please, specify) ……………
9. If YES, what were the consequences for the harasser (harassers)?	The respondent is given the possibility to choose one or several variants of the answers, subject to the situation he/she had experienced. It is aimed to identify what actions are taken or not against the aggressor. For example, in Lithuania it is atypical to use legal instruments – during the decade only two lawsuits, which mention the attack characteristic to mobbing, got to the court
No consequences
Verbal warning
Disciplinary penalty was imposed
Institutions of law enforcement have been informed
	The answers allow checking whether the respondents have honestly answered the previous questions. The variant of the answer ‘I don’t know’ is related to possible problems in organisational communication, publicity in solving mobbing conflicts
The harasser(s) has made restitution
Administrative action or criminal prosecution was applied against a harasser (harassers)
I don’t know
Other (please, specify) ……………
10. What action has the manager/organisation made after this event?	The question is aimed to analyse the intervention and prevention system of the organisation. In addition, it partly notes about the possible problems of management culture, which are related to conflict management and organisational climate
The situation was given publicity in the organisation as an intolerable example
The manager has publicly demonstrated intolerance of harassment, bullying
The situation has been discussed with colleagues
The professional specialist (consultant) has been invited
The seminar aimed at prevention of harassment at the workplace has been held
No actions have been made
Other (please, specify) ……………
11. In our organisation:	Together with the above-presented questions and variants of the answers it is specified how mobbing conflicts are solved at organisational level, strengths and/or problematic fields of the organisation are highlighted
You can always address the manager if you have experienced bullying and harassment and get some help
Bullying and harassment are discussed in the collective agreement
Bullying and harassment are discussed in the code of ethics, which is followed
Bullying and harassment are discussed in the code of ethics; however, it is not followed
No attention has been given to mobbing and harassment in the collective agreement
During the employment process, psychological tests were applied
It is useless to address the manager if you had experienced bullying and harassment
Trainings and seminars, where it is explained how to avoid psychological and physical violence and/or how to behave when a colleague commits acts of violence, are held.
Colleagues always render their assistance
Colleagues are indifferent or support the harasser
The specialist who renders psychological and other assistance is available.
Other (please, specify) ……………
II. Communication interferences in employees’ relations
2.1. Communication
12. Indicate by what actions you have experienced bullying, harassment:
12.1. The manager does not allow me to express my opinion
12.1. My colleagues do not allow me to express my opinion
12.1. When I speak, somebody constantly interrupts me
12.1. I am shouted at, loudly abused
12.1. Productivity of my work is criticised
12.1. My personal life is criticised
12.1. I am terrorised over the phone
12.1. I was threatened verbally
12.1. I was threatened in writing
12.1. They avoided contact with me by showing disdainful glances or gestures
12.11. They avoided contact with me by doing indirect cues
2.2. Isolation
12.12. Nobody talks to me, communicates with me
12.13. Colleagues do not allow me to communicate with them
12.14. My workplace has been moved to another room, farther from my colleagues
12.15. Colleagues are forbidden to communicate with me
12.16. I am treated as ‘an empty place’
III. Formation of negative opinion and work character
3.1. Reputation
12.17. They disparage me behind my back
12.18. False rumours were disseminated about me
12.19. I am sneered, mocked
12.20. The story goes that I have mental problems
12.21. I hear hints that I should ‘visit a psychiatrist’
12.22. They laugh at my physical limitations
12.23. My walking, gestures, speech are mocked
12.24. I have been attacked due to my political views
12.25. I have been attacked due to my religious views
12.26. They mock at my nationality
12.27. They mock at my social origin
12.28. My work is evaluated unfairly, offensively
12.29. My decisions are continuously doubted
12.30. On the neck I hear bad language, offensive phrases, remarks and so on
12.31. I have heard remarks about sexual relations or offers to make love
3.2. Tasks
12.32. I do not get any work tasks
12.33. I do not have the possibility to do anything at my work
12.34. I get meaningless work tasks
12.35. The tasks exceeding my power have been assigned
12.36. I constantly get volatile tasks
12.37. I am forced to perform the tasks humiliating my self-esteem
12.38. I get offensive work tasks
12.39. I have got the work tasks that exceed my qualification in order to “discredit” me
IV. Employees’ physical state and consequences
4.1. Health
12.40. I had to perform the tasks harmful for my health
12.41. I have heard threats to use physical force against me
12.42. Slight physical violence has been used against me because I should have been “taught”
12.43. They behave with me particularly harshly
12.44. I have experienced sexual assault
4.2. Harm
12.45. The direct material harm has been done
12.46. The direct material harm has been done at my home
12.47. The situations, because of which I experience material expenses, are specially created
V. Socio-demographic characteristics
13. Fields of your professional activity:
Fields of professional activity^1	Specification
Agriculture	This section contains the activities related to the use of vegetables, animals and nature resources; they cover crop growing, animal breeding, timber handling as well as the output of other vegetable, animals or their products in farms or nature ranges
Forestry
Fishing
Mining and quarrying	This section consists of the activity types related to the extraction of mineral resources, which are naturally found in solid (coal and ore), liquid (oil) or gas (natural gas) form
Manufacturing	This section includes the physical or chemical change of materials, environments or their components with new products
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	This section classifies the activity related to the supply of electric power, natural gas, steam, hot water by using permanent infrastructure (networks) of supply lines, mains and pipelines. The size of the network is not the decisive factor; it also involves the supply of electricity, gas, steam, hot water and the like to industrial districts or residential buildings
	Thus this section includes the exploitation of electricity and gas systems, which generate, control and distribute electric power or gas. It also includes the supply of steam and air-conditioning
Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	This section includes the activity, which is related to the management of different waste, e.g. solid and non-solid industrial or household waste, as well as of contaminated construction sites (including debris collecting, processing and removal). The products got in the process of water and sewage treatment can be removed or used in other manufacturing processes. The section includes water supply activity because it is often carried out together with the exploitation of sewage purifying device or it is performed by other enterprises engaged in sewerage
Construction	This section includes general construction of buildings and engineering structures and special construction works. This can be new construction, repair, construction or reconstruction of enlargements, mounting of prefabricated buildings or structures in the construction site, as well as the construction of temporary buildings
Wholesale and retail	This section deals with wholesale and retail of different goods (i.e. sale without processing) and the provision of the services characteristic for trade. This section also includes maintenance of motor vehicles and motorcycles
Maintenance of motor vehicles and motorcycles
Transportation and storage	This section includes transportation of passengers and cargo, scheduled or not scheduled; transportation of cargo by railway, road, water, air and pipes as well as the related activity such as the functioning of transport terminals and parking, cargo handling, storage and the like. This section also deals with the rent of transport equipment with driver or operator recruitment. This section also includes the activity of post and couriers
Food service activities	This section deals with short-stay accommodation for visitors and other travellers as well as provision of ready meals and beverages meant for immediate consumption
Accommodation activities
Information and communication	The section deals with production and dissemination of information and culture products; the supply of measures, which allow conveying or spreading these products, as well as data or messages; the activity related to information technologies, data processing and other information services
Financial and insurance activities	This section deals with the activity of financial services that include insurance, reinsurance and pension funding as well as the activity maintaining financial services
	Also this section involves the activity of investment (asset) storage, i.e. the activity of holding companies and trusts, funds and similar financial institutions
Real estate activities	This section includes the activity of people functioning as lessors, agents and (or) brokers in one or more fields presented: sale or purchase of real estate, real estate for rent, the activity of other services related to real estate, e.g. real estate appraisal or the activity of the real estate escrow agent. This section also deals with the construction of buildings by maintaining the property of these buildings or renting them. The section also includes the activity of real estate managers
Professional, scientific and technical activities	This section includes specialised professional, scientific and technical activity. This activity requires high level of readiness; due to it special knowledge and skills become available to consumers
Administrative and service activities	This section includes various activities, which maintain general operations of business
Public administration and defence	This section involves the types of state and self-government activities, which are most frequently performed by public administration institutions. It deals with the adoption of laws and legal acts accompanying them and their legal interpretation, as well as management of the programmes based on them; legislative activities; the management of tax, defence, public order and security, immigration institutions, as well as of foreign affairs and government programmes. This section also contains the activity of compulsory (state) social security
Compulsory social security
Education	This section includes education of any level or of any profession. Education can be organised orally or in written, as well as by radio, television, the Internet or correspondence
	This section contains the education implemented by different institutions of regular (traditional) education system at its different levels, as well as adult education, programmes for elimination of illiteracy and so on. Also at respective levels this section involves military schools and academies, prison schools and so on. The section deals with both state and private education
Human health care and social work	This section includes the activity of human health care and social work
	It involves a wide range of activities starting from the health care provided by qualified medical professionals in hospitals or other institutions, over residential care when the activity of social work only partly relates to the activity of health care performed without the involvement of health care professionals
Arts, entertainment and recreational activities	This section includes different activities that meet cultural, entertainment and recreational needs of the general public, which include live performances, operation of museums, gambling, sports and recreation activities
Other service activities	This section (as a residual category) includes the activities of membership organisations, computer maintenance, repair of personal and household goods, as well as a variety of personal service activities not covered elsewhere
Activities of extraterritorial organisations	This group includes
	• the activity of international organisations such as the United Nations and the specialised agencies, regional units of this system – International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Customs Organization, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, the EU, European Free Trade Association etc. This group also contains:
	• activities of diplomatic and consular missions representing countries, if they are registered in the accommodating country
14. You work for:	It is important to evaluate the situation of the organisations referable to the economic activity according to the sectors by orienting to future more specified researches (for example, on culture and climate)
Private sector
Public sector
15. You are:	For specification of mobbing and other actions of harassment as well as evaluation of organisational system, subject to the status within the organisation
The top manager
The middle-level manager
The lower-level manager
The subordinate
16. Position (desirable): ……………	The question to specify but not optional
17. Your work experience at the present workplace:	The previous research have identified that the risk to experience the attack exists in the beginning of one’s career, and victims suffer mobbing not for a year because the culture being surveyed is distinguished by low work mobility, especially for older people and public sector employees
Up to 1 year
1–3 years
4–7 years
8–10 years
11–15 years
16–20 years Other (please, specify) ……………
18. The number of employees working at your organisation:	It is aimed to specify the causal/outcome relationship of mobbing (harassment) expression with the size and management of the organisation
Up to 10 employees
More than 10, but less than 50 employees
From 50 to 250 employees
More than 250 employees
19. Your marital status:	One of the socio-demographic criteria, for example, related to stigmatism
Single
Married
Divorced
Living together without getting married
Other (please, specify) ……………
20. Your age:	The age is elaborated in intervals and particularly important focuses are distinguished: ‘more than 60 years old, but not retired’ and ‘the retirement age’. When performing the reform of pensions in Lithuania, in 2012 men retired at the age of 62 years and 8 months; women at 60 years and 4 months; and in 2013 62 years and 10 months and 60 years and 8 months respectively (except specific professions, for example, police officers). The retirement age has been highlighted due to significant stigmatisation. In addition, the beginning of the researches of Leymann has also been inspired by a large number of employees in Sweden who had left their job before reaching the retirement age
Up to 20 years
21–30
31–40
41–50
51–60
More than 60, but not retired
The retirement age
21. Your education: Please, specify: ……………	Respondents are advised to write in their education because the previous practice has shown that respondents often wish to state that they have several diplomas of higher education, i.e. he/she has acquired not only the Bachelor’s degree, but also Master’s or Doctor’s degree, continues his/her studies, is on academic leave – and a lot of other variants. The answers to this question complement the portrait of a victim. In addition, it can show the coherence of person’s competence and education as well as serve for more explicit future researches related to educational system in evaluating the readiness of both employees and managers in respect of mobbing conflicts
22. Your gender	Some researchers have recorded moderate differences between mobbing particularity in respect of gender; on the contrary, others state that no differences occur. This question is aimed to verify (or deny) mobbing and harassment of victims based on gender
Female
Male