1.

2 Problem Statement
Bullying is prevalent in the workplace, and it has become institutionalised to the point where
victims are forced to accept such behaviour. Furthermore, One previous study published in
2014 focused on how to identify victims of workplace bullying with a sample of 1619
employees working in Andalusia, Spain (Leon-Perez, Notelaers, Arenas, Munduate, &
Medina, 2014). Participants worked in private manufacturing firms, health care organisations,
and public service organisations (Leon-Perez et al., 2014). Based on the nature of the
negative behaviours and the opinions of the participants who were bullied, 32 percent of
participants had not been bullied, 34 percent had been rarely subjected to bullying actions at
work, 14 percent had been subjected to negative working situations, 12 percent had been
infrequently exposed to work-related bullying, and 5 percent had been subjected to high
frequency (Leon-Perez et al., 2014).

In the context of Malaysia, Solomon (2017) stated that the Malaysian Trades Union Congress
(MTUC) believes that bullying by corporations is a form of denial of workers' employment
rights and human rights. MTUC receives reports of workplace bullying from all over
Malaysia on a regular basis (Solomon, 2017). In 2014, Ahmed and Arif (2014) published a
study that provided an initial research literature on assessing and reporting the frequency of
bullying behaviour in Malaysia. The study's findings show that the 231 randomly selected
respondents came from both the public and private sectors, as well as a variety of industries
and job levels (Ahmed & Arif, 2014). According to the findings of this study, 82.3 percent of
respondents were bullied by given tasks with irrational deadlines, 82.2 percent were bullied
by a person who spreads gossip about them, and 81.4 percent were bullied by a person who
withholds information that will affect his or her performance (Ahmed & Arif, 2014).

There is so much impacts of bullying on employees and organization growth. Workplace

bullying poses health risks to the victim, resulting in both physical and psychological health
issues such as anxiety, stress, and high blood pressure (Gordon, 2018). Victims are unable to
perform their jobs to the best of their abilities, which includes low self-esteem and difficulty
making decisions. This behaviour is also harmful to employers because it promotes
absenteeism, creates a hostile work environment, and may result in costly and embarrassing
legal issues (Gordon, 2018). It is critical to reduce workplace bullying because it creates a
toxic environment that can demotivate employees and lower work performance. Employees
who perform poorly will degrade their productivity, which may result in the company being
unable to provide a quality service or deliver on time. A company's reputation will suffer,
which will have a negative impact on the company's profit and growth.

To the best of the researcher's knowledge, there is a lack of research that determines the
impacts of workplace bullying in the office environment in Malaysia; however, the research
of (Gordon, 2018) provides a starting point for additional research on what the impacts of
workplace bullying within the Malaysia office environment are, which will be explored in
this study.

1.3 Research Objectives

In general, research objectives describe what we expect a project to accomplish. Typically,

research objectives are expressed in lay terms and are aimed at both the client and the
researcher. Research objectives can be used in conjunction with a hypothesis or as a
statement of purpose in a study that lacks a hypothesis.Even if the nature of the research is
not clear from the hypotheses, the layperson should be able to understand the research from
the objectives.

The research objectives describe what the research is attempting to accomplish in a concise
manner. They summarise the accomplishments that a researcher hopes to achieve through the
project and provide guidance for the research. A research objective must be attainable, which
means it must be designed with the available time, research infrastructure, and other
resources in mind. Before developing a research objective, you should read about all of the
developments in your field of study and identify knowledge gaps that need to be filled.

1.3.1 To identify the effects of workplace bullying among workers

1.3.2 To identify the intervention on how to overcome the effects

1.4 Research Question

"Before beginning any research, the formulation of research questions (RQ) is required." It
seeks to investigate an existing uncertainty in a source of concern, pointing to the need for
further research. As a result, it is critical to develop a good RQ" (Ratan, Anand, & Ratan,
2019). Several research questions were developed in order to further investigate and
comprehend the impacts of workplace bullying in Malaysia. The research question that can
be related to the objective is as below:

1.4.1 What are the effects due to workplace bullying?

1.4.2 What are the intervention to overcome the effects?

 2.4 Development of Research

On the basis of the preceding statement, a model is developed that connects psychological
distress, low productivity, and organisational growth. The conceptual framework of this study
is depicted in Figure 1 below:

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

H1
Psychological Distress

Workplace Bullying H2 Job Performance

H3
Turnover Intention

2.5 Theoretical Foundation for the Research Framework

Theoretical used for first variable physiological distress is by sociologist (Pearlin et al.,1981).
Pearlin's theory of psychological distress proposed that all humans are constantly changing as
a result of the stressors they face that help them evolve (Pearlin et al., 1981). He believed that
individuals have a lifetime of continuous change with periods of stability based on four key
elements: individual characteristics, skill range, social support, and stress timing (Pearlin et
al.,1981). The characteristics of an individual (such as gender, race, intelligence, background,
personality, and education) predict a person's stability (Pearlin et al., 1981). The individual's
skill level predicts how they will cope with stress or change. Lack of specific skills can affect
stability during stressful events (Pearlin et al., 1981). Following that, social support, or the
lack thereof, can be a source of stress and have an impact on stability (Pearlin et al., 1981).
Finally, the stress's nature and timing, such as expected or unexpected changes, can predict
stability (Pearlin et al., 1981).
Pearlin's theory reflected his concept of stress as an ongoing process and that development
can be influenced by social factors (Pearlin, Schieman, Fazio, & Meersman, 2005). In other
words, the stress process is based on a series of societal changes that can be predicted by a
social clock, and an individual's level of distress is determined by the four key elements
(Aneshensel & Avison, 2015). Pearlin believed that early adulthood is a period in life when
significant changes in role behaviours should occur as individuals' responsibilities in society
evolve (Pearlin et al., 2005).

However, the change in stability caused by the social clock can have a negative impact on
people's lives (Aneshensel & Avison, 2015). Early adulthood, for example, is the time to
experience childhood ambitions, and a person's lifestyle can change at any time. Depending
on the four key elements that predict stability, those periods of changing lifestyle can be
accompanied by negative psychological effects. Furthermore, the loss of social support and
self-esteem during a societal change may have a negative psychological impact that could
have been avoided if key elements for stability were present (Pearlin et al., 2005).