Background: Over 50% of Canadian medical students report experiencing mistreatment, yet only a small proportion of students report these concerns to administration. It is unknown how medical students make sense of their experiences of mistreatment and come to decide about formally reporting these experiences. Improved understanding of this phenomenon will facilitate changes at the administrative and institutional levels to better support students. Methods: This Constructivist Grounded Theory study interviewed 19 current and former medical students from one institution about their experiences with mistreatment and reporting. Anonymized transcripts were reviewed, coded and theory was developed. Results: Students undergo a journey surrounding experiences of mistreatment in five phases: Situating, Experiencing and Appraising, Reacting, Deciding, and Moving Forward. Students move through these phases as they come to understand their position as medical learners and their ability to trust and be safe within this institution. Each experience of mistreatment causes students to react to what has happened to them, decide if they will share their experiences and reach out for support. They choose if they are going to report the mistreatment, at what cost and for what outcomes. Students continue through their training while incorporating their experiences into their understanding of the culture in which they are learning and continually resituating themselves within the institution. Discussion: This study revealed institutional mistrust from students especially as it related to reporting mistreatment. Interventions designed to support students and decrease exposure to mistreatment may be best focused on increasing organizational trust and organizational compassion between students and the medical school. Students volunteered mechanisms of support and to improve the reporting process. Medical school administration should consider how they can increase trust with their learners while identifying areas of concern and procedures for intervening and providing more transparent resolutions. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / More than half of all Canadian medical student experience mistreatment during their medical school but very few choose to formally report it. In this study we explored how students experienced mistreatment and their decisions about reporting it as well as what supports would be most helpful for them. To better understand this issue, 19 medical students were interviewed about their experiences. The interviews were analyzed through constructivist grounded theory and the identified themes were used to develop a theory of how students experience mistreatment and make decisions around reporting. Students go through five phases: Situating themselves in their learning environment, Experiencing and Appraising mistreatment, Reacting to that mistreatment, Deciding about reporting and the risks and benefits and Moving Forward within the same medical school as they continue. Students showed mistrust towards the medical school and suggested changes the medical school could make to better support them.

With the continuing influx of teams in the workplace it is important to understand how incivility affects team success. The purpose of this study was to address this topic by investigating the effects of leader incivility towards team members on team outcomes. The team emergent states of team satisfaction, team cohesion, and team commitment were tested as mediators between team leader incivility and team performance. Additionally, leader sex was examined as a moderator to the incivility emergent states relationship. The current study used a sample of female college basketball teams to test the proposed model. Results revealed that leader incivility had a detrimental effect on team emergent states and subsequently team performance. These findings further the understanding of incivility in a team setting and its effect on team performance.

This program of research investigated the harmful effects of mistreatment by the workgroup, and the role of perceived rejection as a critical mediator linking mistreatment and outcomes. This research program had three primary purposes. First, the research aimed to examine the important role of workgroup mistreatment as an independent predictor of negative outcomes, over and above the influence of supervisor mistreatment. Second, the research aimed to examine the effect of perceived rejection as an explanatory variable linking workgroup mistreatment and outcomes. Finally, the moderating effect of organizational norms on the relationship between workgroup mistreatment and perceived rejection was examined. The relationships of interest were examined over four studies, using multiple methods of data collection, across part-time and full-time working samples. In Study 1 (Chapter 2), the independent role of workgroup mistreatment and the mediating role of perceived rejection were examined. One hundred and forty two part-time working participants took part in the study. The participants completed a questionnaire on workplace behaviors in their organizations. The results of hierarchical regression analyses revealed a strong harmful effect of workgroup mistreatment, independent of mistreatment by the supervisor. In addition, the results showed that perceived rejection fully mediated the relationship between workgroup mistreatment and depression and organizational based self esteem. The study highlighted that perceived rejection acts as a key underlying psychological mechanism involved in the effect of workgroup mistreatment. This study has been published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. Study 2 and Study 3 were presented as one paper in Chapter 3. The aims of these two studies was to explore the effects of workgroup mistreatment on a wider range of individual and organizational level outcomes, and to provide further evidence of the mediating role of perceived rejection as observed in Study 1. The results from both studies demonstrated that workgroup mistreatment had a significant and independent role in predicting negative individual and organizational level outcomes, providing support for the findings of Study 1. In the first study, 189 participants received scenarios manipulating workgroup mistreatment and supervisor mistreatment. The results of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that workgroup mistreatment harmfully affected participants, over and above that of the supervisor. The results also demonstrated that perceived rejection mediated the positive relationships between workgroup mistreatment and depression and organizational deviance, and also the negative relationships between workgroup mistreatment and organizational based self esteem and organizational citizenship behaviors. The second study included an additional aim, to examine the moderating role of supportive organizational norms. Two hundred and twenty nine participants read scenarios that manipulated workgroup mistreatment, supervisor mistreatment and organizational norms. The results of hierarchical regression analyses revealed the significant harmful effects of workgroup mistreatment, over and above the influence of supervisor mistreatment. The results also revealed the mediating role of perceived rejection. The direct effect of positive organizational norms also emerged, consistent with previous research. In addition, the result revealed that employees who experienced supportive organizational norms were more likely to reconcile with their workgroup members after experiencing mistreatment compared to employees who experienced hostile organizational norms. Finally, an unexpected pattern on the key affective variables of depression and organizational based self esteem emerged, such that mistreatment led to more negative outcomes in the supportive norms condition than in the hostile condition, where employees appeared to be desensitized. This paper is currently under review at the Journal of Applied Social Psychology. In Study 4 (Chapter 4), the overall model of workplace mistreatment was tested on a sample of full-time workers in an applied setting. One hundred and seventy two adults took part in the study. Participants were required to evaluate their workplace regarding mistreatment and organizational norms and to report their own psychological, behavioral and organizational outcomes. The results revealed that workgroup mistreatment was associated with increased depression, stress and avoidance, over and above supervisor mistreatment. In addition, the results revealed that perceived rejection acted as an explanatory variable linking workgroup mistreatment to a number of outcomes. Furthermore, the moderating role of hostile organizational norms emerged on depression, stress, reconciliation and avoidance. This paper is currently under review at the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. Overall, the four studies provided empirical support for the majority of the hypotheses. The effects were demonstrated for a range of psychological, behavioral, and organizational level outcomes, using multiple methods of data collection, across part-time and full-time workers. At the conclusion of the thesis (Chapter 5), an overall summary is provided of the findings across all four studies, practical and theoretical implications and research directions.

Workplace mistreatment, such as discrimination, bullying, and incivility, affect thousands of individuals annually and cost U.S. organizations up into the billions of dollars each year in settlement costs, lost employee productivity, and poor employee health. Given the pervasive cost and prevalence of workplace mistreatment, research on this subject remains important. The purpose of the current research is to provide academics, practitioners, and policy makers with a comprehensive understanding of the nature of perceived workplace mistreatment by determining if subgroups (e.g. men versus women) within individual difference groups (sex, race, age, and organizational tenure) differ in magnitude of perceived workplace mistreatment. Meta-analytic methods were used to determine if and to what degree subgroups differences in perceived workplace mistreatment exist. Mistreatment type (e.g. bullying, harassment, incivility), source of mistreatment, and measurement item type and response scale were examined as potential moderators of these differences. The results suggest that there are minimal differences between subgroups of individual difference groups in the perception of workplace mistreatment, regardless of mistreatment type, mistreatment source, or mistreatment measure. Theoretical and practical implications of this research are discussed in addition to limitations and suggestions for future research.

Subtle offensive statements in workplace emails, which I term "Micro E-ggressions," can significantly impact the psychological safety and subsequent productivity of work environments despite their often-ambiguous intent. This thesis investigates the prevalence and nature of both micro and macro e-ggressions within workplace email communications, utilizing state-of-the-art natural language processing (NLP) techniques. Leveraging a large dataset of workplace emails, the study aims to detect and analyze these subtle offenses, exploring their themes and the contextual factors that facilitate their occurrence. The research identifies common types of micro e-ggressions, such as questioning competence and work ethic, and examines the responses to these offenses. Results indicate a high prevalence of offensive content in workplace emails and reveal distinct thematic elements that contribute to the perpetuation of workplace incivility. The findings underscore the potential for NLP tools to bridge gaps in awareness and sensitivity, ultimately contributing to more inclusive and respectful workplace cultures. / Master of Science / Subtle offensive statements in workplace emails, which I term "Micro E-ggressions," can significantly impact the psychological safety and subsequent productivity of work environments despite their often-ambiguous intent. This thesis investigates the prevalence and nature of both micro and macro e-ggressions within workplace email communications, utilizing state-of-the-art natural language processing (NLP) techniques. Leveraging a large dataset of workplace emails, the study aims to detect and analyze these subtle offenses, exploring their themes and the contextual factors that facilitate their occurrence. The research identifies common types of micro e-ggressions, such as questioning competence and work ethic, and examines the responses to these offenses. The results show a high occurrence of offensive content in workplace emails and highlight patterns that help maintain a negative work environment. The study demonstrates that advanced language analysis tools can help raise awareness and sensitivity, ultimately fostering more inclusive and respectful workplace cultures.

In Western culture, and especially the United States, the increasingly service based economy focuses on creating an emotionally positive experience for customers. This leads to increasing pressures on service workers to hide and suppress their emotions even when mistreated by customers, in order to meet their employers', and general cultural, customer service standards. This thesis investigates the questions of what kinds of emotional challenges supermarket cashiers experience as a result of mistreatment from their customers, how do they manage to cope with these challenges, and whether there are any differences in challenges or coping strategies between younger and older cashiers, and those with less or more work experience. Researchers have studied the strategies and effects of emotion management in a variety of work settings, as well as private and other institutional settings, including airlines (Hochschild, 1983), animal shelters (Arluke, 1994), and abortion clinics (Wolkomir and Powers, 2007). However, the role of customer mistreatment in the development of emotion management strategies among service workers has remained relatively unexamined to date. For my research, I conducted semi-structured, qualitative interviews with nine female cashiers of different ages who work at large supermarkets in two counties of southwest Florida. As illustrated and discussed in the analysis chapters, most commonly, participants described three different types of mistreatment they experience from their customers and resulting emotional issues: stigma, verbal abuses, and sexualized mistreatment. In order to cope with these mistreatments, cashiers employ two types of emotion management strategies: interpersonal and personal. Interpersonal strategies in the workplace include peer support and enlisting the manager, personal strategies include what I call doing service and forgiving the customer. In the concluding chapter, I summarize my research findings and describe how my study contributes to the current state of the literature on workplace emotion management. I also discuss the limitations of my study. Lastly, I discuss implications for policy and some recommendations for protecting cashiers from customer mistreatment, and the associated emotional suffering, in the future.

Written about the time of the Golden Venture incident, Chang-rae Lee’s Native Speaker makes a particular reference to that incident, whereby implying that particular immigrants, on the grounds of their racial identities, are mistreated and considered as aliens by some Americas. While some whites discriminate against immigrants, there is widespread ethnic tension between Korean Americans and African Americans. Significantly, racial conflict between Koreans and blacks and the racist attitude of some whites toward immigrants are mirrored in the relationship between the Korean-American protagonist Henry and his American wife Lelia. That is, due to their different racial identities they do not understand each other and they always argue. However, toward the end of the novel, Henry and Lelia come to understand each other. While ethnic conflict between Koreans and blacks and certain whites’ discriminatory attitudes toward immigrants is serious one, the novel suggests the unimportance of racial identity. In other words, the novel concludes that there is no discriminatory treatment of immigrants and, in fact, every one is a native Speaker in America. In the novel there is no message of how racial conflict could be resolved. However, this essay suggests that by investigating how the tension between Henry and Lelia is resolved, one could suggest a solution for the ethnicity problem in America and in real life.

This thesis focus on the growing problem of elder mistreatment in the United States and related risk factors. In particular, focus is given to the problem of elder financial exploitation using survey analysis of an urban adult sample in the United States.

This paper examines the funding procedure in Ontario long-term care facilities and seeks to identify whether current resources for protecting the elderly from mistreatment is allocated fairly and effectively. The research also observes how the political economy may influence the needs-based allocation built to protect seniors from mistreatment in institutional care settings and the consequences of these resources on residents’ autonomy. The topic is also viewed through the lens of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Five experts in the area of long-term care participated in this research work including academics, scholars and institutional or agency advocates. Interviews lasting up to 60 minutes interviews were conducted, transcribed and analyzed using a political economy lens. Participants described their knowledge and experience with the funding procedure for long term-care facilities, particularly in Ontario and provided their view on areas that they felt could be improved. The analysis identified four themes including whether the issue is under-resourced, poor allocation of resources; funding according to need; the struggle to define and assess the quality of care; and general work conditions in long-term care. The result of this research will help us to better understand the resource allocation of Ontario long-term care facilities which could in turn highlight improvements that could be made to create better quality of life for residents as well as frontline workers. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA) / This paper examines the funding procedure in Ontario long-term care facilities and seeks to identify whether current resources for protecting the elderly from mistreatment is allocated fairly and effectively. The topic is viewed through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis of the five expert interviews identified four themes including whether the issue is under-resourced, poor allocation of resources; funding according to need; the struggle to define and assess the quality of care; and general work conditions in long-term care. The result of this research will help us to better understand the resource allocation of Ontario long-term care facilities which could in turn highlight improvements that could be made to create better quality of life for residents as well as frontline workers.

Most previous research on workplace mistreatment has proceeded under the assumption that the various forms of mistreatment are uniformly perceived as negative by recipients. Abusive supervision is one form of mistreatment that has rarely ever been examined through a lens of ambiguity. The question many researchers have failed to ask is whether it is reality that every questionable act labeled as abusive is truly abuse, or such perceptions vary across individuals. And for the individuals perceiving the act (the target), what individual differences are influencing their judgement? The purpose of the study was to explore the influence of individual differences on the perception of abusive supervision in the workplace. The study required 134 participants to fill out a series of questionnaires based on their personality traits. They also read a series of 15 vignettes/scenarios based on Tepper’s abusive supervision scale to decide whether they found the behavior highlighted to be abusive or not abusive. The results indicated that although no significant correlations were present for overall abuse, the traits of Machiavellianism and Narcissism did show to be predictors of overt abuse, and conscientiousness was a predictor of covert abuse. Variability in perceptions of the individual vignettes were also found among each trait. In addition, the means of overall, overt, and covert abuse all partially supported the notion that abusive acts can be ambiguous.