How French Bus Drivers, Managers and Unions Talk About Incivility and Physical and Verbal Assaults at Work

Workplace Bullying: a Study on Urban Collective Transportation

“…Furthermore, violence in the work context may occur beyond the organization, that is, committed by others, including insults, threats, and physical or psychological aggression (Kornig et al 2017). In this sample, 17.2% reported that the main harassers are companies, operational managers, and mainly, passengers.…”

“…Lincoln and Gregory (2015) also consider busses as traditionally dominated by men, in which the social constructions of masculinity determine a certain autonomy, dispense the help of others, and demand a firm and fearless attitude to deal with issues related to passengers, for example. Thus, such cultural mechanisms would favor the acceptance of aggressive behaviors and rudeness (Kornig et al 2017;León-Pérez et al 2019; Lincoln and Gregory 2015), which would minimize or even trivialize violence at work (Geoffrion et al 2017). Thus, although personal differences, and not specifically sex, can affect the way a WB situation is perceived and confronted, evidence shows that male workers may feel less threatened by violent acts and perceive direct aggressive acts as more acceptable (León-Pérez et al 2019).…”

“…Working with the public and handling money, common in the work routine of these professionals, are risks for experiencing workplace violence (Hirigoyen 2004). Besides, they face issues such as the increasing density of public transport networks, the increase in the number of routes and distances traveled, bus stops with more users, heavy traffic, and the need for constant attention (Kornig et al 2017).…”

“…More time dedicated to working may also reflect less availability for interactions with colleagues during or beyond work, as it is only during breaks that they can exchange experiences, talk, feel part of the group, and comment on coping strategies for conflict situations, maintaining their health and improving the service quality. This collective space for discussion about violence depends, therefore, on the function, work shift, and temporal and spatial dimensions of work (Kornig et al 2017).…”

“…These consider especially drivers, as the profession of ticket collector does not exist in all countries. Zhou et al (2018) investigated the impact of workplace violence against Canadian bus drivers; Geoffrion et al (2017) compared the prevalence of types of workplace violence in the public transport, health, and policing sectors; Lincoln and Gregory (2015) undertook a multimethod study that showed that Australian bus drivers were exposed to various types of workplace violence; Kornig et al (2017) sought to analyze some psychosocial risks, particularly the experiences of workplace violence urban transportation drivers in France were exposed to. The research by Glasø et al (2011), specifically on WB, examined the exposure of Norwegian bus drivers to this type of violence and related it to engagement and job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and personality traits.…”