Endorsing voice behavior can be as devastating as rejecting it when the endorsement is laced with a hint of anger

Abstract Voice endorsement—managers’ approval of employees’ voiced suggestions—has largely been regarded as positive, yet little research examines how managers’ emotional expressions during endorsement affect employees. Drawing on the Emotions as Social Information (EASI) model, we propose that not...

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Main Authors: Felipe A. Guzman, Antonella Tempesta Fernández, Melvyn R. W. Hamstra
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-03-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93636-8
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author Felipe A. Guzman
Antonella Tempesta Fernández
Melvyn R. W. Hamstra
author_facet Felipe A. Guzman
Antonella Tempesta Fernández
Melvyn R. W. Hamstra
author_sort Felipe A. Guzman
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Voice endorsement—managers’ approval of employees’ voiced suggestions—has largely been regarded as positive, yet little research examines how managers’ emotional expressions during endorsement affect employees. Drawing on the Emotions as Social Information (EASI) model, we propose that not all instances of voice endorsements are necessarily positive events for employees. Specifically, we propose that managers’ anger while endorsing voice, negatively impact employees’ perceptions of psychological safety and their future voice behavior. Across two experimental studies, we find that participants who faced an angry manager endorsing their voice reported both lower psychological safety and future voice behavior than those whose voice was endorsed by a happy or neutral looking manager. Study 2 further found that employees experiencing voice endorsement with anger felt as psychologically unsafe as those whose voice was outright rejected, suggesting that anger-laden endorsements are just as detrimental as voice rejections. Our findings contribute to the literature by challenging the notion that all voice endorsements are inherently positive, emphasizing the role of managers’ emotions on managerial reactions to voice.
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spelling doaj-art-c24b65f5f23248a5b24aeab668d6e7f52025-08-20T02:56:21ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-0115111410.1038/s41598-025-93636-8Endorsing voice behavior can be as devastating as rejecting it when the endorsement is laced with a hint of angerFelipe A. Guzman0Antonella Tempesta Fernández1Melvyn R. W. Hamstra2IESEG School of Management, UMR 9221 - LEM - Lille Économie ManagementDepartment of Management and Humanities, EDHEC Business SchoolIESEG School of Management, UMR 9221 - LEM - Lille Économie ManagementAbstract Voice endorsement—managers’ approval of employees’ voiced suggestions—has largely been regarded as positive, yet little research examines how managers’ emotional expressions during endorsement affect employees. Drawing on the Emotions as Social Information (EASI) model, we propose that not all instances of voice endorsements are necessarily positive events for employees. Specifically, we propose that managers’ anger while endorsing voice, negatively impact employees’ perceptions of psychological safety and their future voice behavior. Across two experimental studies, we find that participants who faced an angry manager endorsing their voice reported both lower psychological safety and future voice behavior than those whose voice was endorsed by a happy or neutral looking manager. Study 2 further found that employees experiencing voice endorsement with anger felt as psychologically unsafe as those whose voice was outright rejected, suggesting that anger-laden endorsements are just as detrimental as voice rejections. Our findings contribute to the literature by challenging the notion that all voice endorsements are inherently positive, emphasizing the role of managers’ emotions on managerial reactions to voice.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93636-8Voice behaviorVoice endorsementVoice rejectionAngerEASI
spellingShingle Felipe A. Guzman
Antonella Tempesta Fernández
Melvyn R. W. Hamstra
Endorsing voice behavior can be as devastating as rejecting it when the endorsement is laced with a hint of anger
Scientific Reports
Voice behavior
Voice endorsement
Voice rejection
Anger
EASI
title Endorsing voice behavior can be as devastating as rejecting it when the endorsement is laced with a hint of anger
title_full Endorsing voice behavior can be as devastating as rejecting it when the endorsement is laced with a hint of anger
title_fullStr Endorsing voice behavior can be as devastating as rejecting it when the endorsement is laced with a hint of anger
title_full_unstemmed Endorsing voice behavior can be as devastating as rejecting it when the endorsement is laced with a hint of anger
title_short Endorsing voice behavior can be as devastating as rejecting it when the endorsement is laced with a hint of anger
title_sort endorsing voice behavior can be as devastating as rejecting it when the endorsement is laced with a hint of anger
topic Voice behavior
Voice endorsement
Voice rejection
Anger
EASI
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93636-8
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