If you build a remedial voice mechanism, will they come? Determinants of voicing interpersonal mistreatment at work

Abstract

This study examined person-centered (gender, work self-esteem) and situational (hierarchical power relations, mistreatment severity, intentionality) variables that determine employee voice to remedy interpersonal mistreatment. Data were collected from graduate business students who responded to a scenario describing exposure to mistreatment by a work colleague. Results suggested that gender, work self-esteem, and relative hierarchical power were most predictive of remedial voice to an internal mediator. Power relations played an important moderating role such that lower power positions seemed to inhibit voice. That is, women would be more likely than men to voice but only when a co-worker (versus supervisor) was the offender. Individuals with low work self-esteem would be less likely to voice than individuals with high work self-esteem when mistreated by a supervisor (versus co-worker). The results support using a social-psychological perspective for identifying determinants of remedial voicing (or hesitation to voice) related to persons, situations, and their interactions.