Abstract
Witnessing workplace bullying could result in negative perceptions of work and increase psychological distress among bystanders. This study contributes to the scarce literature on bystanders of workplace bullying in public administration by examining the interplay of ethical leadership (EL) and public service motivation (PSM). In line with the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, we argue that EL and PSM are critical organizational and personal resources in bolstering meaningful work (MNW) and the psychological well-being of public servants. A two-wave study involving 246 public sector employees in the United States supports our hypotheses. We find that witnessing workplace bullying is negatively associated with MNW while positively relating to psychological distress. This study also shows that MNW has a negative association with psychological distress. Interestingly, high PSM is found to strengthen the impact of high EL on the negative relationship between witnessing workplace bullying and MNW, consistent with the COR perspective. We discuss the theoretical contributions and managerial implications for the specific public sector and general organizations.
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