Positioning Depression as a Critical Factor in Creating a Toxic Workplace Environment for Diminishing Worker Productivity

Samma Faiz Rasool, Rashid Maqbool, Madeeha Samma, Yan Zhao and Amna Anjum
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Samma Faiz Rasool: School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
Rashid Maqbool: Department of Construction Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Madeeha Samma: School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
Yan Zhao: School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
Amna Anjum: Glorious Sun School of Business and Management, Donghua University Shanghai, Shanghai 200051, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: This study determined how a toxic workplace environment can influence worker productivity, directly and indirectly, using work depression as a mediating variable. A toxic workplace environment with multiple dimensions (harassment, bullying, ostracism, and incivility) was used in this study. We used a questionnaire survey approach to evaluate the data. A total of 53 items were used in the questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale. The data were collected from 23 branches of five Chinese banks in the vicinity of Shanghai. The authors distributed 250 questionnaires among targeted employees (senior managers, middle managers, and administrative staff) and received 186 filled questionnaires, among which six were incomplete. Thus, the completed sample size of the research was 180, and the overall response rate was 72%. To estimate the proposed relationships in the research model, we used partial least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM 3.2). The outcomes of this study indicate that for direct and indirect relationships, a toxic workplace environment negatively influences worker productivity. Moreover, the outcomes of this study also show that work depression negatively impacts worker productivity. The study concludes with a discussion, limitations, and future research directions.

Keywords: toxic workplace environment; work depression; worker productivity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

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