Workplace bullying and medically certified sickness absence: Direction of associations and the moderating role of leader behavior

The aim of this study was to determine (1) associations between workplace bullying and
subsequent risk and duration of medically certified sickness absence, (2) whether
employees’ perceptions of supportive, fair, and empowering leader behavior moderate
the association between bullying and absence, and (3) whether prior sickness absence
increases the risk of being a new victim of bullying. Altogether, 10,691 employees were
recruited from 96 Norwegian organizations in the period 2004–2014. The study design
was prospective with workplace bullying and leader behavior measured at baseline and
then linked to official registry data on medically certified sickness absence for the year
following the survey assessment. For analyses of reverse associations, exposure to bullying
was reassessed in a follow-up survey after 24 months. The findings showed that workplace
bullying was significantly associated with risk (risk ratio = 1.23; 95% CI = 1.13–1.34), but
not duration (incidence rate ratio = 1.05; 95% CI = 0.89–1.25) of medically certified
sickness absence after adjusting for age, gender, and supportive, fair, and empowering
leader behavior. None of the indicators of leader behavior moderated the association
between bullying and sickness absence (both risk and duration). Adjusting for baseline
bullying, age, and gender, prior long-term sickness absence (>21 days) [...]