You’re offended, I’m offended! An empirical study of the proclivity to be offended and what it says about employees’ attitudes and behaviors

Jeremy B. Bernerth

Journal of Business Research, 2020, vol. 116, issue C, 314-323

Abstract: For all the news stories devoted to individuals taking offense to various issues, little is known about these individuals or their work-related habits. To address this important gap in organizational and societal knowledge, the reported research draws on cognitive interference theory to define and measure the proclivity to be offended (PTBO). This measure was hypothesized to serve as an off-task stimuli, and results of a time-separated multi-source study found PTBO negatively relates to employees’ task performance and citizenship behavior, and positively relates to counterproductive behavior, as rated by one’s supervisor. PTBO also had implications for employees’ self-reported job satisfaction and workplace engagement. Building on the idea that PTBO may also influence the way employees view their organization’s actions, overall organizational justice was hypothesized and found to mediate the relationship between PTBO and both employees’ behavior and attitudes. Implications for managers and organizations concerned with modern societal movements are discussed.

Keywords: Sensitivity; Societal trends; Political correctness; Moral outrage; Personality; Performance; Workplace attitudes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:116:y:2020:i:c:p:314-323

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.05.040

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