The incidence of interpersonal workplace bullying in India’s ITES-BPO sector

Abstract

The existence of interpersonal bullying at ytork and its link with socio-cultural factors in the Indian context was ascertained through a suryaj undertaken in the country's ITES-BPO (offshoring-outsourcing) sector. Survey dota, collectedfrom 1036 respondents across six cities via the Work Harassment S,cale, indicated the experience of interpersonal bullying by 44.3 per cent of the sample. Superiors, displaying task-focused behaviours, were the main source ofbttllying, in keeping with India's hierarchical society. Nonetheless, the existence of'cross-level co-bullying' where a personal focus was emphasised, points to tlie role of identity-based affiliations intrinsic to India's ethos. The study fndin,gs add to existing eyidence of depersonalised bullying in the Indian ITES-BPO sector, reinforcing the concept of compounded bullying. In addition to underscoring the relevance of including socio-cultural dimensions as vaiables in future studies of workplace bullying, recommendations for action are put forward.