Abstract
A survey was conducted among 768 migrant workers working in urban cities in China finding out about their experiences over ten types of workplace bullying measures. This paper examines how the ex-ante choices of migrant workers in their choice of which region to work in, choice of how long to stay in their company, choice of level of education to receive, choice to transfer their hukou to the city of their workplace, and also their choice to be educated in the labor law, impact the intensity of workplace bullying experienced. Except for knowledge of the labor law, all other choices lessen workplace bullying in some of these dimensions but increases workplace bullying in others. For those with Junior High qualifications and above, the consistent result is that migrants who are more familiar with the labor law, are able to experience less workplace bullying across most of the ten domains.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Hukou is the household registration system of China which ties welfare of residents to their registered city/village address.
For a copy of the survey, feel free to contact the corresponding author.
This was to ensure that the researchers could verify that students had actually interviewed migrant workers. These photographs can be seen at http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/Migrant2013/slideshow/.
References
Ashforth, B. (1994). Petty tyranny in organizations. Human Relations, 47(7), 755–778.
Battistella, G. (1993). The human rights of migrant workers: Agenda for NGOs. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 2(2), 247–257.
Bellani, L., & D’Ambrosio, C. (2011). Deprivation, social exclusion and subjective well-being. Social Indicators Research, 104(1), 67–86.
Brewer, M. (1999). The psychology of prejudice: Ingroup love or outgroup hate? Journal of Social Issues, 55, 429–444.
Brodsky, C. (1976). The harassed worker. Toronto: Lexington Books, DC Heath and Company.
BSR. (2012). Research report on current China labor trends. www.bsr.org/en/our-insights/report-view/trends-in-esg-integration-in-investments. Accessed March 28, 2014.
Chan, A. (2001). China’s workers under assault—The exploitation of labor in a globalizing economy. East Gate. ISBN: 0-7656-0357-8.
Chappell, D., & Di Martino, V. (2006). Violence at work. Geneva: International Labour Organization.
Chen, Y., & Li, S. X. (2009). Group identity and social preferences. American Economic Review, 99(1), 431–457.
Cheng, Z., Smyth, R., & Guo, F. (2015). The impact of China’s New Labour Contract Law on socioeconomic outcomes for migrant and urban workers. Human Relations, 68, 329–352.
Chinese Center for Research on Youths (CYCS). (2007). China Youth Research Center, “Economic Opportunities for New Rural Migrants in China: A Comparative Report”, Special Research Report No. 9. www.cycs.org/Article.asp?ID=7879. Accessed March 12, 2014 (in Chinese).
Cooney, S. (2007). Making Chinese labor law work: The prospects for regulatory innovation in the People’s Republic of China. Fordham International Law Journal, 30(4), 1050–1097.
de Beijl, R. Z. (2000). Documenting discrimination against migrant workers in the labour market: A comparative study of four European countries. International Labour Organization.
De Cuyper, N., Baillien, E., & De Witte, H. (2009). Job insecurity, perceived employability and targets’ and perpetrators’ experiences of workplace bullying. Work and Stress, 23(3), 206–224.
De Witte, H. (1999). Job insecurity and psychological well-being: Review of the literature and exploration of some unresolved issues. European Journal of work and Organizational Psychology, 8(2), 155–177.
Démurger, S., Gurgand, M., Li, S., & Yue, X. (2009). Migrants as second class workers in urban China? A decomposition analysis. Journal of Comparative Economics, 37(4), 610–628.
Dijkstra, M., van Dierendonck, D., & Evers, A. (2005). Responding to conflict at work and individual well-being: The mediating role of flight behaviour and feelings of helplessness. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 14(2), 119–135.
Gallagher, M., Giles, J., Park, A., & Wang, M. (2015). China’s 2008 Labor Contract Law: Implementation and implications for China’s workers. Human Relations, 68(2), 197–235.
Hall, N., & Crisp, R. (2008). Assimilation and contrast to group primes: The moderating role of ingroup identification. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44(2), 344–353.
Hare, D. (2002). The determinants of job location and its effect on migrants’ wages, evidence from rural China. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 50(3), 557–579.
Jennifer, D., Cowie, H., & Ananiadou, K. (2003). Perceptions and experience of workplace bullying in five different working populations. Aggressive Behavior, 29(6), 489–496.
Kahneman, D., & Krueger, A. (2006). Developments in the measurement of subjective well-being. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 20(1), 3–24.
Karindi, L. (2008). The making of China’s New Labour Contract Law. China analysis #66, November. Retrieved from www.chinapolitik.de
Knight, J. (2013). The economic causes and consequences of social instability in China. China Economic Review, 25, 17–26.
Knight, J., & Gunatilaka, R. (2010). Great expectations? The subjective well-being of rural–urban migrants in China. World Development, 38(1), 113–124.
Larson, R. (1989). Is feeling” in control” related to happiness in daily life? Psychological Reports, 64(3), 775–784.
Lee, C. K. (2002). From the specter of Mao to the spirit of the law: Labor insurgency in China. Theory and Society, 31(2), 189–228.
Lee, C. K. (2007). Against the law: Labor protests in China’s Rustbelt and Sunbelt. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Leung, P., & So, A. (2013). China’s legal absorption of labor unrest. Journal of Studies in Social Sciences, 4(1), 131–160.
Liefooghe, A., & Mackenzie-Davey, K. (2001). Accounts of workplace bullying: The role of the organization. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 10(4), 375–392.
Lu, Z., & Song, S. (2006). Rural–urban migration and wage determination: The case of Tianjin, China. China Economic Review, 17(3), 337–345.
Meglich-Sespico, P., Faley, R., & Knapp, D. (2007). Relief and redress for targets of workplace bullying. Employee Responsibility and Rights Journal, 19, 31–43.
Moreland, R. (1985). Social categorization and the assimilation of “new” group members. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48(5), 1173–1190.
Nielsen, I., Smyth, R., & Zhai, Q. (2010). Subjective well-being of China’s off-farm migrants. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11(3), 315–333.
Quine, L. (2001). Workplace bullying in nurses. Journal of Health Psychology, 6(1), 73–84.
Randle, J., Stevenson, K., Grayling, I., & Walker, C. (2007). Reducing workplace bullying in healthcare organisations. Nursing Standard, 21(22), 49–56.
Rayner, C. (1997). The incidence of workplace bullying. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 7(3), 199–208.
Rayner, C., & Hoel, H. (1997). A summary review of literature relating to workplace bullying. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 7(3), 181–191.
Satterthwaite, M. (2005). Crossing borders, claiming rights: Using human rights law to empower women migrant workers. Yale Human Rights and Development Law Journal, 8, 1–4.
Silla, I., De Cuyper, N., Gracia, F., Peiró, J., & De Witte, H. (2009). Job insecurity and well-being: Moderation by employability. Journal of Happiness Studies, 10(6), 739–751.
Sims, R., & Sun, P. (2012). Witnessing workplace bullying and the Chinese manufacturing employee. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 27(1), 9–26.
Smyth, R., Nielsen, I., & Zhai, Q. (2010). Personal well-being in urban China. Social Indicators Research, 95, 231–251.
Turner, J., Brown, R., & Tajfel, H. (1979). Social comparison and group interest in ingroup favouritism. European Journal of Social Psychology, 9(2), 187–204.
Vartia, M., & Hyyti, J. (2002). Gender differences in workplace bullying among prison officers. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 11(1), 113–126.
Wei, Q., Yan, D., & Ye, J. (2013). Rethinking the Labour Contract Law of China. Peking University Law School, Labour Law and Social Security Law Institute, a Mimeo.
Wong, K., Fu, D., Li, C. Y., & Song, H. X. (2007). Rural migrant workers in urban China: Living a marginalised life. International Journal of Social Welfare, 16(1), 32–40.
Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge the 2013 Shandong University Faculty Grant (Grant No. 2013TB013) for funds for this research and I commend Ms Qiu Dan on excellent research assistance.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Appendices
Appendix 1: Correlation Coefficients of the Workplace Bullying Measures (768 obs)
HideInfo | Unappreciated | Overtime | NoLeave | VerbalAbuse | Overwork | WorkAbuse | NoPromotion | OwedSalary | AddedAllow | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HideInfo | 1 | 0.2996 | 0.1592 | 0.1527 | 0.2605 | 0.1389 | 0.2028 | 0.3633 | 0.192 | −0.0587 |
Unappreciated | 1 | 0.2417 | 0.2806 | 0.331 | 0.2383 | 0.2534 | 0.3449 | 0.3544 | −0.0921 | |
Overtime | 1 | 0.3904 | 0.2173 | 0.3109 | 0.1806 | 0.2116 | 0.2101 | −0.0173 | ||
NoLeave | 1 | 0.257 | 0.3762 | 0.2447 | 0.2129 | 0.3235 | −0.1069 | |||
VerbalAbuse | 1 | 0.2094 | 0.5025 | 0.2966 | 0.3824 | −0.1678 | ||||
Overwork | 1 | 0.1547 | 0.1772 | 0.2214 | −0.0503 | |||||
WorkAbuse | 1 | 0.3633 | 0.5181 | −0.0696 | ||||||
NoPromotion | 1 | 0.3352 | 0.0156 | |||||||
OwedSalary | 1 | −0.1414 | ||||||||
AddedAllow | 1 |
Appendix 2: Survey Responses from the Labor Law Test
Question | Choices | % Correct | SD |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Based on the labor law, must a company provide social security to you if you work for them? | X Yes | 0.7 | 0.46 |
____No | |||
2. Based on the labor law, if you have worked for an employer for 6 months without a contract and he pays you 500 yuan a month, how much more must he pay you? | ____0 | 0.29 | 0.46 |
____an extra 500 yuan | |||
____an extra 1000 yuan | |||
X an extra 3000 yuan | |||
3. If a firm gives an employee two 1 year contracts, and wants to give a third 1 year contract, is this legal in the new labor law? | ___Yes | 0.45 | 0.5 |
X No | |||
4. If an employer terminates your job suddenly without cause after you have worked for 3 years, based on the labor law, how much compensation must the company pay you? | ____0 | 0.46 | 0.5 |
____1 month’s pay | |||
X 3 month’s pay | |||
____6 month’s pay | |||
5. If a firm gives you 30 days notice that they will terminate your job, which of the following reasons is a legal reason for them to do so? | ____The firm does not suit your working style | 0.43 | 0.5 |
____You are unable to perform overtime | |||
X You have been sick and have not be able to perform your stipulated duties | |||
6. Based on labor laws, what is the maximum number of hours you can work a week before the company must pay you overtime compensation? | X 44 h | 0.39 | 0.49 |
____55 h | |||
____66 h | |||
____77 h | |||
7. Which of the following reasons is not illegal for a firm to terminate an employee? | ____A female employee is pregnant and has taken 2 months maternity leave | 0.84 | 0.37 |
____An employee has already worked for the firm for more than 15 years | |||
____An employee sustained an injury in the course of performing his work duties | |||
X An employee is found to be an alcoholic and is negligent towards his duties | |||
8. Based on the labor law, can a firm keep your National ID card? | ____Yes | 0.89 | 0.31 |
X No |
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cheo, R. Migrant Workers and Workplace Bullying in Urban China. Soc Indic Res 132, 87–115 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-015-1214-0
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-015-1214-0