Employees’ Reactions to a Citizen Incivility Climate: A Multilevel Multisource Study

Abstract

Although public service employees are regularly exposed to uncivil behavior by citizens, we still know little about the effects of these incivilities. This study aims to examine the reactions of public employees who work in a climate of citizen incivility. Using a multilevel multisource design, we examine the indirect effects of citizen incivility climate on employee withdrawal and helping behaviors via job tension, and test the moderating influence of employees’ public service motivation on these relationships. Our analyses were performed using data collected from a sample of 734 employees and 77 supervisors working in Canadian public libraries. Results show that public servants who work in a climate of citizen incivility experience greater job tension and consequently show more withdrawal and less helping behaviors. Our results also show that public service motivation acts as a buffer against the detrimental effects of incivility climate on helping behaviors, but not against withdrawal.