The concurrent effects of workplace bullying, satisfaction with supervisor, and satisfaction with co-workers on affective commitment among schoolteachers in China

Purpose - The paper seeks to examine the effects of workplace bullying, satisfaction with supervisor, and satisfaction with co-workers on affective commitment. Design/methodology/approach - A survey approach was used in this research. Partial least squares analyses on data from 142 full-time schoolteachers in China were used to determine whether workplace bullying, satisfaction with supervisor, and satisfaction with co-workers have unique effects on affective commitment. Findings - The paper reveals that workplace bullying has a significant negative correlation with affective commitment while satisfaction with supervisor and satisfaction with co-workers each have a significant positive correlation with affective commitment. Furthermore, workplace bullying, satisfaction with supervisor, and satisfaction with co-workers all have significant unique effects on affective commitment. Research limitations/implications - Limitations are the use of self-report and cross-sectional data. Future research could adopt samples from different industries, include multi-rater data, and a longitudinal research design. Various other workplace factors that may influence affective commitment could also be examined. Practical implications - The findings highlight the need for anti-bullying policies in organisations. Neither satisfaction with super-visor nor satisfaction with co-workers nullifies the negative effects of bullying on the target's affective commitment. Preventing bullying is therefore fundamental to sustaining affective commitment. Originality/value - This paper contributes to the literature by providing an examination of the effects of workplace bullying, satisfaction with supervisor, and satisfaction with co-workers on affective commitment. To the authors' knowledge, no workplace bullying research has been conducted previously in China.