Interpersonal Mistreatment in the Workplace: The Experience of Envy and Incivility Related to Turnover Intention

Abstract

Workplace incivility violates the norms of mutual respect between employees. Milder forms of aggression are common in business, despite their negative interpersonal effects and impact on organizations as a whole. Even so, research on the construct of experienced workplace incivility is sparse. We suggest the perception of being envied to be an antecedent of experienced workplace incivility and provide an exploration of turnover intention as a conceivable outcome via organizational commitment. The purpose of the following research study is to enhance the understanding of workplace incivility, given its existing presence as an organizational construct. Through an increased awareness of the antecedents and outcomes of incivility, unfavorable implications may be avoided and thereby improve future organizational well-being. Through the use of a cross-sectional research design with 187 participants from the Norwegian health care sector, findings revealed that employees who experienced envy from others were also more prone to experience workplace incivility. Furthermore, the experience of workplace incivility was directly and significantly related to turnover intention, although including organizational commitment as a mediator of the relationship provided a better model fit. A novel contribution to the research field was the concentration on the perceived experience of incivility, rather than on the actual behaviors. Related limitations and implications of the findings are thoroughly discussed before concluding with an outline for possible future research. Keywords: envy, workplace incivility, organizational commitment, turnover intention