Background: Workplace bullying is a severe and widespread occupational problem that negatively affects individuals, organizations, and societies. Studies have shown that national culture influences the way bullying is understood and experienced across different countries. However, our understanding of the cross-cultural variations in workplace bullying is still lacking. This study aimed to compare nurses’ experiences of workplace bullying in two culturally distinct countries: Turkey and Sweden.
Methods: Using a qualitative design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurses (21 Turkish, 16 Swedish) who identified themselves as targets and/or bystanders of workplace bullying. Data were collected during 2019/2020 and analyzed using the deductive content analysis method.
Results: There were many similarities between the Turkish and Swedish nurses in their reports of the most common types, antecedents, effects of, and target responses to workplace bullying. Differences were observed between countries concerning the source of bullying and in bystander responses.
Conclusion: The findings emphasize that workplace bullying is a serious problem in the nursing profession across cultures and attention should be paid to cultural factors in understanding the varying bullying-related experiences of nurses. Healthcare organizations should therefore consider developing tailor-made interventions that fit their local cultural contexts to deal with workplace bullying in a more effective way.