The moderator effect of organizational trust in the relationship stressors – reactions to stress

Abstract

Although the beneficial effect of trust on individual and organizational variables is empirical welldocumented, the researchers have given less attention to its moderator role in the stressorsreactions to stress relationship. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the moderator role of trust in supervisor and in organization in the relationship between eight occupational stressors and stress reactions represented by the employees’ counterproductive work behaviors and emotions. Data were obtained from 192 employees. The results have shown that trust in supervisor negatively predicted organizational (s= -.30, p .05) and the positive emotions of employees (F(16.161) = 1.19, p>.05). Trust in supervisor moderates only the relationship between the daily hassles as an occupational stressors and the counterproductive behavior directed to persons (β= -.36, p<.01) and trust in organization moderates the relationship between the organizational climate and the interpersonal counterproductive behavior (β= -.27, p<.01). The results indicate that organizational trust can have a beneficial role on employees’ work behaviors and emotions, even in conditions in which they perceive high levels of occupational stress.