A third-party perspective for examining employee reactions to witnessing coworker incivility towards customers

Abstract

Drawing on moral self-regulatory theory, this study uses the experience sampling method to examine how and when employees, as third parties, react to coworker incivility towards customers. Data from 246 front-line employees in China showed that coworker incivility towards customers was positively related to hostility towards coworkers and, in turn, more workplace ostracism towards coworkers. Meanwhile, coworker incivility towards customers was also positively related to state-based moral disengagement and, in turn, more incivility towards customers. The above effects depended on employees’ perceived service climate such that when employees had a higher (versus lower) level of perceived service climate, the above effects were attenuated. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.