When rudeness goes home: the impact of supervisor incivility on employees’ work–family conflict
Abstract This study uses the frustration-aggression theory to examine how supervisor incivility relates to employee interpersonal incivility toward customers and co-workers and work–family conflict. Work–family conflict refers to the incompatibility between the demands and responsibilities of an ind...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Future Business Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-025-00437-6 |
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| author | Hassan Imam Naveed Bilal Tomoki Sekiguchi |
| author_facet | Hassan Imam Naveed Bilal Tomoki Sekiguchi |
| author_sort | Hassan Imam |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract This study uses the frustration-aggression theory to examine how supervisor incivility relates to employee interpersonal incivility toward customers and co-workers and work–family conflict. Work–family conflict refers to the incompatibility between the demands and responsibilities of an individual’s work role and their family role. Service employees from the banking industry (N = 750) participated in the study’s daily multisource questionnaires over a continuous two-week period. The study’s findings, based on multilevel structural equation modeling, show that supervisors’ hostility toward subordinates increases employee interpersonal deviance toward customers and co-workers, as well as work–family conflict. Additionally, the study found in a parallel mediation that the association between supervisor-initiated incivility and work–family conflict is mediated by employee interpersonal deviance toward co-workers and customers. These findings indicate the detrimental effects of incivility from supervisors on both the workplace and employees’ personal lives. The study suggests that workplace incivility causes a negative spiral of mistreatment where a target of incivility may respond by mistreating other, resulting in a toxic work environment. However, organizations can mitigate the negative effects of incivility and promote productivity and success for employees and organization by investing in employee well-being and creating a respectful work culture. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-604ed8b51b0b4e37bef0dfe5553dbd52 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2314-7210 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Future Business Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-604ed8b51b0b4e37bef0dfe5553dbd522025-02-02T12:26:00ZengSpringerOpenFuture Business Journal2314-72102025-01-0111111110.1186/s43093-025-00437-6When rudeness goes home: the impact of supervisor incivility on employees’ work–family conflictHassan Imam0Naveed Bilal1Tomoki Sekiguchi2Institute of Business Sciences, University of TsukubaRiphah School of Business & Management, Riphah International UniversityGraduate School of Management, Kyoto UniversityAbstract This study uses the frustration-aggression theory to examine how supervisor incivility relates to employee interpersonal incivility toward customers and co-workers and work–family conflict. Work–family conflict refers to the incompatibility between the demands and responsibilities of an individual’s work role and their family role. Service employees from the banking industry (N = 750) participated in the study’s daily multisource questionnaires over a continuous two-week period. The study’s findings, based on multilevel structural equation modeling, show that supervisors’ hostility toward subordinates increases employee interpersonal deviance toward customers and co-workers, as well as work–family conflict. Additionally, the study found in a parallel mediation that the association between supervisor-initiated incivility and work–family conflict is mediated by employee interpersonal deviance toward co-workers and customers. These findings indicate the detrimental effects of incivility from supervisors on both the workplace and employees’ personal lives. The study suggests that workplace incivility causes a negative spiral of mistreatment where a target of incivility may respond by mistreating other, resulting in a toxic work environment. However, organizations can mitigate the negative effects of incivility and promote productivity and success for employees and organization by investing in employee well-being and creating a respectful work culture.https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-025-00437-6Work–family conflictSupervisor incivilityInterpersonal devianceFrustration-aggression theorySpillover effect |
| spellingShingle | Hassan Imam Naveed Bilal Tomoki Sekiguchi When rudeness goes home: the impact of supervisor incivility on employees’ work–family conflict Future Business Journal Work–family conflict Supervisor incivility Interpersonal deviance Frustration-aggression theory Spillover effect |
| title | When rudeness goes home: the impact of supervisor incivility on employees’ work–family conflict |
| title_full | When rudeness goes home: the impact of supervisor incivility on employees’ work–family conflict |
| title_fullStr | When rudeness goes home: the impact of supervisor incivility on employees’ work–family conflict |
| title_full_unstemmed | When rudeness goes home: the impact of supervisor incivility on employees’ work–family conflict |
| title_short | When rudeness goes home: the impact of supervisor incivility on employees’ work–family conflict |
| title_sort | when rudeness goes home the impact of supervisor incivility on employees work family conflict |
| topic | Work–family conflict Supervisor incivility Interpersonal deviance Frustration-aggression theory Spillover effect |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-025-00437-6 |
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