Exploring bullying behaviors from the perspective of physicians and nurses in Jordanian public hospitals

Purpose This study aims to explore the perception of physicians and nurses toward the prevalence of workplace bullying behaviors (verbal, physical, social, and cyber) in Jordanian public hospitals. Design/methodology/approach The study population consisted of 1,056 physicians and nurses working on the day and night shifts in four leading public hospitals in Jordan. A convenient nonprobability sample of 460 physicians and nurses was chosen randomly to answer the self-administrated questionnaire developed by the authors. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted using SPSS 26.0. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Findings Participants reported that the prevalence of workplace bullying behaviors was 23% ( M = 1.15). The practice of the bullying types was in descending order as follows: verbal (25%), social (24.8%), physical (21.4%), and cyber (21%). Abusers spread rumors about the victims (31%), verbally harass them for provocation (29%), physically damage their things without any reason (26%), and make fun of their posts on social media (21%). Cyberbullying was significantly and strongly associated with social bullying (0.88). Ph.D. and master's holders reported higher practice of workplace bullying behaviors than respondents who hold a diploma or a bachelor's degree. In addition, respondents who work the day shift reported higher verbal bullying than the night shift respondents. Practical implications There is a need to develop effective policies and procedures that tackle the practice of workplace bullying by educating employees about the nature of workplace bullying, its effects on individual and organizational outcomes, and how to prevent its adverse consequences. Originality/value This is one of the first comprehensive studies in the Arab context that explores workplace bullying against physicians and nurses.