Toxic workplaces, tarnished outcomes: understanding the effects of bullying on job outcomes

Junaid Iqbal, Zahoor Ahmad Parray and Shubhangi Bharadwaj

Evidence-based HRM, 2025, vol. 14, issue 1, 87-103

Abstract: PurposeThis study examines the impact of workplace bullying on workers’ innovative behavior, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and affective commitment while taking burnout into account as a potential mediator.Design/methodology/approachWe hypothesize that workplace bullying will have a detrimental effect on employees’ capacity for innovative behavior and OCB, as well as impair their affective commitment to the company, based on the Conservation of Resource theory. We used cluster sampling to gather data from 249 bank employees, using structural equation modeling to evaluate our assumptions.FindingsAccording to our research, there is a strong negative correlation between workplace bullying and innovative behavior, OCB and a reduction in affective commitment. Additionally, burnout was found to be a key mediator between these outcomes and workplace bullying, indicating a critical role for burnout in spreading the negative impacts of bullying on employees’ attitudes and behaviors.Originality/valueThe results of this study show how bullying at work harms employees’ innovative behavior, OCB and affective commitment, which might eventually lower organizational productivity and performance. It is important to develop a culture of creativity, increase employee engagement and strengthen organizational commitment by building a friendly and courteous work environment. Collectively addressing burnout and workplace bullying will increase employee well-being, job happiness and overall organizational success.

Keywords: Workplace bullying; Innovative behavior; Affective commitment; Organization citizenship behavior; Burnout and conservation of resource theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:ebhrmp:ebhrm-02-2024-0058

DOI: 10.1108/EBHRM-02-2024-0058

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