Does employees' psychological capital buffer the negative effects of incivility?

Abstract

Purpose – Workplace relationship has widely been recognized as an important factor to shaping employees’ workplace experience. Workplace incivility, a low-intensity form of deviant behavior, is deemed to have an adverse effect on both businesses and their employees. However, the role of individuals’ positive psychology in buffering the adverse effects of workplace incivility remains unclear even though social stressors like incivility are prevalent among Jordanian heath care workers. Applying the conservation of resources (COR) theory and social exchange theory (SET), the purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between coworker incivility and psychological distress as moderated by psychological capital (PsyCap). Design/methodology/approach – Survey data were collected from a sample of Jordanian health workers and a structural equation modeling technique was utilized. Findings – The findings show that coworker incivility predicts higher levels of psychological distress, and employee PsyCap moderates the link between incivility and psychological distress. Originality/value – Although research concerning the link between incivility and unwanted work or personal outcomes has been established, studies examining the variables that can buffer these effects are largely lacking. This study fills this void in the literature. The implications for practice and theory are discussed.