An Intergenerational Comparison of Reactions to Mobbing at Workplace

Abstract

As different generations have started taking place within the business life simultaneously, it has become crucial for organizations to create a baseline that would satisfy all the employees in every aspect. Based on this fact, this study aims to shed light onto the perceptions and reactions of 3 different generations (Generations X, Y and Z) towards mobbing in order to offer insights that could help practitioners to manage workforce diversity in terms of generations. In this respect, data from 32 participants from different generations were collected and their reactions to mobbing were compared, based on a two-step research process in which, firstly, two different scenarios were offered to the participants, one reflecting a high-mobbing situation whereas the other demonstrated a lower mobbing atmosphere and the possible reactions of participants were collected. Secondly, a survey that followed the scenarios to observe the responses of the participants of each generation to the mobbing situations given in a list was conducted. The results show that for generations Y and Z, the social environment in the company can be considered as a part of their private lives and they are more likely to quit their jobs if this environment is not provided in a healthy way. Generation X is found to have a sharp distinction between professional and private life, and they are more resilient to mobbing than other generations as long as it doesn't affect their work style and productivity.