Antecedents and outcomes of work-linked couple incivility

Abstract

Workplace incivility has been shown to have negative organizational and individual effects on people who experience this low-intensity deviant behavior. Research has recently begun to look at incivility as a form of modern discrimination that may be used to target out-groups within organizations, where out-groups are broadly defined. The first goal of the current study was to examine the impact of incivility on work-linked couples. Second, the present study sought to determine the effect that experiences of WLC incivility had on individual and organizational outcomes: burnout, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. Finally, although the outcomes of incivility have been well-established, the antecedents of this phenomenon have been examined considerably less. Therefore, the present study sought to examine and explain the relationship between a climate for formality, gender, and WLC incivility. To accomplish these goals a snowball sampling method was used to recruit a total of 86 participants for an online survey. Hierarchal regression and bootstrapping mediation were used to analyze the data. Results showed that WLC incivility was predictive of burnout, job dissatisfaction, and turnover intentions. Furthermore, both burnout and job satisfaction were shown to mediate the relationship between WLC incivility and turnover intentions. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed as well as potential areas for future research.