Psychological well-being in the face of workplace bullying: a study within the Indian information technology sector

Purpose The Indian IT industry is a space where employees strive for belongingness. This study aims to explore how bullying disrupts organizational identification (OI) and depletes psychological well-being (PWB). It also examines the nuanced role of perceived organizational support (POS). Design/methodology/approach A structural equation modeling strategy was used to examine data from 396 Indian IT workers. The proposed relationships between workplace bullying (WB), PWB, POS and OI were tested. Findings WB was negatively associated with PWB (β = −0.299). In addition, OI mediated the relationship between WB and PWB (β = −0.075). Notably, POS exacerbated the effect of WB on PWB (β = −0.098). Originality/value The study enriches organizational studies by suggesting that OI is a critical mediator in the nexus between WB and PWB. It also points to a surprising role of POS. Rather than always serving as a buffer for employees, high POS might be associated with the harm of bullying due to expectation mismatch.