Trajectories of depletion following witnessing incivility toward women: a time-lagged study

Abstract

Purpose

The authors aim to broaden the understanding of incivility through the lens of bystanders who witness incivility toward women. Integrating attributional ambiguity and emotional contagion theories with the literature on workplace mistreatment, the authors propose that witnessing incivility toward women may negatively impact bystanders.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected multi-wave data from 324 employees to assess the consequences of witnessing incivility toward women at work for bystanders.

Findings

Utilizing a serial mediation model, the authors found evidence that witnessing incivility toward women indirectly increased turnover intentions six weeks later, first through elevated negative affect and then through increased cognitive burnout.

Originality/value

Taken together, this study's findings suggest that the negative effects of incivility toward women can spread to bystanders and highlight the importance of considering individuals who are not directly involved, but simply bear witness to incivility at work.

Citation

Arena Jr., D.F., Jones, K.P., Lindsey, A.P., Sabat, I.E., DuBois, H.T. and Tripathy, S.C. (2024), "Trajectories of depletion following witnessing incivility toward women: a time-lagged study", Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Vol. 43 No. 4, pp. 740-755. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-06-2023-0184