It’s Not Personal: A Review and Theoretical Integration of Research on Vicarious Workplace Mistreatment

Abstract

Recent advancements in the area of workplace mistreatment have begun to challenge our view of who is affected by this phenomenon. Whereas it was initially assumed that mistreatment affected a small subset of employees who were directly targeted by negative treatment, empirical work has documented that employees who observe or become aware of others being mistreated are also adversely affected. However, the extant literature examining vicarious mistreatment has developed in silos centered around individual mistreatment constructs and individual outcome domains, and there is currently little integration among these bodies of work. As such, this paper draws on a systematic review of empirical studies examining vicarious mistreatment to summarize its antecedents and outcomes. The review further enumerates the mechanisms that transmit the effects of vicarious mistreatment to third-party outcomes and the moderating variables that may mitigate or amplify the impact of vicarious mistreatment. The culmination of this review is the development of a dual process model of vicarious mistreatment that integrates prior theoretical perspectives into an overarching framework to guide subsequent research. The authors then conclude by providing a road map for future theoretical and empirical work on vicarious mistreatment. Included within the future research agenda is a constructive critique of current research designs and methodological approaches that may undermine the field’s understanding of how vicarious mistreatment operates.

An Eye for an Eye? Third Parties’ Silence Reactions to Peer Abusive Supervision: The Mediating Role of Workplace Anxiety, and the Moderating Role of Core Self-Evaluation

“…Third, Dhanani and LaPalme pointed out in the review literature that, although some empirical studies have examined the negative impact of peer abusive supervision on the attitude and behavior of third parties, few studies focus on the mediating mechanism of third parties' emotions in the above process [15]. Hence, the current study is a timely response to the call of Dhanani and LaPalme.…”

“…It lays a cognitive foundation for the choice of the implicit behavior of silence of the subsequent third parties. Furthermore, this paper responds to the call for paying attention to the mediating role of the emotional reactions of third parties, between peer abusive supervision and their behavioral choice [15]. Drawing affective events theory, we construct a model of emotional mechanism between peer abusive supervision and third parties' silence, and suggest that peer abusive supervision affects silent behavior indirectly by triggering workplace anxiety.…”

“…In addition, Dhanani and LaPalme pointed out, in the review literature, that although some empirical studies have examined the negative impact of peer abusive supervision on the behavior of third parties, unfortunately, very few studies have focused on the mediating mechanisms of third parties' emotions in the above process [15]. It is important to note; however, that emotions play a vital role during the processes through which negative attitudinal outcomes are produced [16].…”

Individual approaches to workplace tensions: implications for creativity and work engagement

“…More broadly, our research contributes to the literature on observed aggression and uncivil behavior at work (e.g., Porath & Erez, 2007;Rafaeli et al, 2012). Existing studies in this area have focused on witnessing a perpetrator engaging in negative behavior towards a victim (Dhanani & LaPalme, 2019) such as sexual harassment, discrimination, rudeness, aggression, and bullying, and have examined its emotional and cognitive consequences (e.g., Einarsen, Skogstad, Rørvik, Lande, & Nielsen, 2018;Rafaeli et al, 2012;Reich & Hershcovis, 2015). Our work contributes to this line of research by focusing on observing an overt disagreement between two team members in one's work team, without clearly distinguishing a perpetrator and a victim, and by investigating the motivational and behavioral mechanisms explaining the relationship between observing relationship conflict and observers' work engagement.…”

“…As per Kahn's (1990) theory of engagement, the threat to safety and meaningfulness and the depletion of their resources will undermine their work engagement. Indeed recent research found that employees' involvement at work was adversely affected by seeing fellow workers being mistreated (Dhanani & LaPalme, 2019).…”