Battling the Threat of Workplace Harassment

This study attempts to look at workplace harassment through an entirely novel lens of protection motivation theory. The theory suggests the appraisal of threat and the coping ability determine an individual’s protection behavior. In this study, we have examined how the threat of harassment affects employees’ behaviors. This study utilized cross-sectional research design and quantitative information through an online survey using a two-step approach from 563 employees of different organizations worldwide. It analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results indicated main two constructs, Threat appraisal (perceived severity, perceived vulnerability) and coping appraisal (response efficacy, self-efficacy), were both found to be positively related to the employee’s protection intention and behavior. Besides, employee’s intention significantly mediated the threat appraisal and coping appraisal with employee’s behavior. Overall, results show the importance of protection motivation theory as a significant and influencing factor in workplace harassment, employees’ intention, and behavior. Our study offers a novel and new way to look at the phenomenon of workplace harassment and the process of forming protective behavior in a workplace. The theory can be extended to other workplace threats to develop novel and interdisciplinary views by meteorological change as an exploratory and experimental approach.