Avoidance As Recover to Self: Exploring Why and When Feedback Avoiding Behavior Promote Volunteering

Abstract

Feedback avoiding behavior has been endorsed as destructive behavior. However, how the employees respond to such behavior remains unclear. Drawing upon conservation of resources theory, we explore why and when participating in feedback avoiding behavior may benefit employees. Results from a three-wave survey study illustrate that engaging in feedback avoiding behavior was associated with decreased emotional exhaustion, and ultimately, increasing employee volunteering behavior. Moreover, prevention focus moderated the observed effects. Specifically, the negative relation of feedback avoiding behavior with emotional exhaustion and the positive indirect effect of feedback avoiding behavior on volunteering behavior via emotional exhaustion will be stronger when employee prevention focus is high. Theoretical implications, practical implications, and future research directions are discussed.