The changing role of the nation-state and regulation: Workplace bullying legislation in The Netherlands

Premilla D’Cruz, Roelie Mulder, Ernesto Noronha, Niels Beerepoot and Slawek Magala
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Premilla D’Cruz: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, India
Roelie Mulder: Zeeland County Council, The Netherlands
Ernesto Noronha: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, India
Niels Beerepoot: Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Slawek Magala: Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, The Netherlands

The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 2019, vol. 30, issue 1, 77-98

Abstract: Workplace bullying literature has focused mainly on actions of individual targets of mistreatment, undertaken to address the problem, and on analyses of the effectiveness of responses. Less attention has been paid to the efficacy of state regulation in establishing a climate of prevention as well as redress. We examine the role of the Dutch Working Conditions Act as a means of mitigating workplace bullying from the perspective of legislative intention, processes and outcomes. Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders involved in creating, influencing and implementing the Act are analysed thematically to highlight how contextual, employer and phenomenon-specific factors affect the effectiveness of legislation with regard to workplace bullying. The findings indicate that state involvement, organisational commitment and collective action are all important contributors in reducing workplace bullying, but that even in the context of neoliberalism, the role of the nation-state is of critical importance, notwithstanding initiatives by employers. JEL Codes: J58, J78, J81, M54

Keywords: Anti-bullying legislation; coping; Dutch Working Conditions Act; labour inspectors; neoliberalism; state; targets; unions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:ecolab:v:30:y:2019:i:1:p:77-98

DOI: 10.1177/1035304618823959

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