Navigating Workplace Toxicity: The Relationship Between Abusive Supervision and Helping Behavior Among Hotel Employees with Self-Esteem and Emotional Contagion as Buffers

Ibrahim A. Elshaer (), Alaa M. S. Azazz, Sameh Fayyad and Osman Elsawy
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Ibrahim A. Elshaer: Department of Management, College of Business Administration, King Faisal University, Al-Hofuf 31982, Saudi Arabia
Alaa M. S. Azazz: Social Studies Department, College of Art, King Faisal University, Al-Hofuf 31982, Saudi Arabia
Sameh Fayyad: Hotel Management Department, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt
Osman Elsawy: Department of Human Resource Management, Business College, King Khalid University, Abha 61471, Saudi Arabia

Administrative Sciences, 2025, vol. 15, issue 8, 1-21

Abstract: Workplace toxicity in the tourism sector remains a widespread issue, particularly for hotel staff who are constantly suffering from verbal, emotional, or physical abuse. While previous research has primarily highlighted the negative consequences of abusive behavior, this study examines a different perspective—how abusive supervision may be associated with reduced helping behavior among hotel employees, with emotional contagion and self-esteem serving as key moderating and mediating variables. Based on the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, the current paper suggests that abusive supervision causes people’s psychological resources to be depleted, which decreases their self-esteem and, in turn, their helpful behavior. Furthermore, it is revealed that emotional contagion can act as a moderator to amplify the detrimental association between abusive supervision and self-esteem. Data were gathered from frontline hotels employees. Employing structural equation modeling with SmartPLS 3, the findings reveal that abusive supervision was negatively related to both self-esteem and helping behaviors. Additionally, the correlation between helpful behavior and abusive supervision was strongly mediated by self-esteem. It is also shown that emotional contagion mitigated the detrimental relationship between abusive supervision and self-esteem, such that people with high emotional contagion experienced a stronger negative relationship. This paper advances our theoretical knowledge of workplace dynamics by expanding COR theory to justify how and why abusive supervision impairs pro-social behavior. From a practical standpoint, the findings underscore the significance of management behavior and emotional intelligence in service-oriented sectors. Employee self-esteem and cooperative workplace behavior may be preserved by interventions that deplete supervisory abuse and boost emotional resilience.

Keywords: abusive supervision; helping behaviors; self-esteem; emotional contagion; toxic leadership; workplace toxicity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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