Workplace Cyberbullying and Interpersonal Deviance: Role of Depletion and Supervisor Support

Abstract

With the spread of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Chinese public sector organizations, workplace cyberbullying has become the new form of bullying besides traditional face-to-face bullying. This research aimed to explore the daily influence of workplace cyberbullying on interpersonal deviance by using an experience sampling method. We collected 750 matched data from 150 full-time employees working in the public service sector in China for 5 consecutive days. A multilevel analysis was then performed to construct a moderated mediation model. The results showed that daily workplace cyberbullying increased interpersonal deviance by increasing personal ego depletion. Furthermore, the indirect effect of workplace cyberbullying was stronger when there was a low level of perceived supervisor support. Our research provides a comprehensive and dynamic insight into the relationship between workplace cyberbullying and interpersonal deviance.