Aaron C. H. Schat

Reducing the adverse consequences of workplace aggression and violence: the buffering effects of organizational support

This study examined the buffering effects of 2 types of organizational support--instrumental and informational--on the relationships between workplace violence/aggression and both personal and organizational outcomes. Based on data from 225 employees in a health care setting, a series of moderated multiple regression analyses demonstrated that organizational support moderated the effects of physical violence, vicariously experienced violence, and psychological aggression on emotional well-being, somatic health, and job-related affect, but not on fear of future workplace violence and job neglect. These findings have implications for both research and intervention related to workplace violence.

Effects of perceived control on the outcomes of workplace aggression and violence.

This study examined the role of perceived control in ameliorating the negative outcomes associated with the experience of violence at work, using 2 large samples of hospital staff (N = 187) and group home staff (N = 195). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the measure of perceived control converged in suggesting a 3-factor structure consisting of Understanding, Prediction, and Influence. Results of a series of moderated regression analyses suggested that perceived control did not moderate the relationships between violence and fear or between fear and emotional well-being, somatic health, or neglect. However, perceived control was directly associated with emotional well-being and indirectly associated with somatic health and neglect. In addition, training that targets workplace violence was found to be related to enhanced perceptions of control.

Attachment at (not to) work: applying attachment theory to explain individual behavior in organizations.

In this article, we report the results of 2 studies that were conducted to investigate whether adult attachment theory explains employee behavior at work. In the first study, we examined the structure of a measure of adult attachment and its relations with measures of trait affectivity and the Big Five. In the second study, we examined the relations between dimensions of attachment and emotion regulation behaviors, turnover intentions, and supervisory reports of counterproductive work behavior and organizational citizenship behavior. Results showed that anxiety and avoidance represent 2 higher order dimensions of attachment that predicted these criteria (except for counterproductive work behavior) after controlling for individual difference variables and organizational commitment. The implications of these results for the study of attachment at work are discussed.

The Physical Health Questionnaire (PHQ): construct validation of a self-report scale of somatic symptoms.

The authors report the results of 3 studies that were conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Physical Health Questionnaire (PHQ), a brief self-report scale of somatic symptoms. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis results revealed 4 empirically distinct dimensions of somatic symptoms: gastrointestinal problems, headaches, sleep disturbances, and respiratory illness. In Study 2, this structure was replicated using confirmatory factor analysis, and correlations of the PHQ dimensions with measures of negative affect, psychological health, and job performance provided further validity evidence. In Study 3, a minor revision to the wording of several items helped to address the limitations of one of the PHQ subscales. Together, these results provide evidence of the construct validity of the PHQ.

Exposure to psychological aggression at work and job performance: The mediating role of job attitudes and personal health

Abstract Despite the growing literature on workplace aggression and the importance of employee performance at work, few studies have examined the relation between workplace aggression and job performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations between psychological aggression at work and two forms of job performance (task performance and contextual performance) and potential mediators of these relations. Based on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and prior research, a model was developed and tested in which overall job attitudes (i.e., job satisfaction and organizational commitment) and overall personal health (i.e., physical and psychological health) fully mediate the relations between exposure to psychological aggression at work and both task performance and contextual performance. Data were obtained from a national probability sample of US workers (N=2376) and the model was tested using structural equation modelling. The results supported the hypothesized model, demonstrating that exposure to psychological aggression at work negatively predicted both task performance and contextual performance, and that these relations were explained by decrements in job attitudes and health associated with exposure to psychological aggression at work.

Workplace Psychological Aggression, Job Stress, and Vigor: A Test of Longitudinal Effects:

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationships between supervisor- and customer-initiated psychological aggression and vigor across time, and to determine the mediating role of job stress in these relationships. We also investigated the potential for differential impacts of supervisor and customer aggression on our outcome variables. A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted with a time lag of 6 months. The study sample consisted of 215 branch office employees of five large commercial banks situated in Islamabad, Pakistan. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM). It was found that Time 1 supervisor and customer aggression were negatively related to Time 2 vigor, and these relationships were partially mediated by job stress. Contrary to our expectations, however, we found no significant differences between Time 1 supervisor and customer aggression in relation to Time 2 job stress and Time 2 vigor. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. We extended research on multifoci approach to workplace aggression and empirically examined the direct and mediated effects of supervisor- and customer-initiated psychological aggression on vigor.

Employee revenge against uncivil customers

Purpose This study aims to examine the relations between service employee blame attributions in response to customer incivility and revenge desires and revenge behavior toward customers, and whether employee empathy moderated these relations. Design/methodology/approach The authors used survey data based on the critical incident method provided by a sample of 431 customer service employees. Findings The results suggested that blaming a customer was positively associated with desire for revenge and revenge behaviors against the uncivil customer. In addition, the authors found that blame was less strongly associated with desire for revenge when employees empathized with customers. Finally, the results show that an employee who desired revenge against the uncivil customer and who empathized with the customer was more – not less – likely to engage in revenge. Practical implications The authors found that when employees experience mistreatment from customers, it increases the likelihood that they will blame the offending customer and behave in ways that are contrary to their organization’s interests. The results suggest several points of intervention for organizations to more effectively respond to customer mistreatment. Originality/value In this study, the authors make one of the first attempts to investigate the relationships between service employee attributions of blame when they experience customer incivility, desire for revenge and customer-directed revenge behaviors. The authors also examined whether empathy moderates the relations between blame attribution, desires for revenge and revenge behavior.