Job experience as a buffer against incivility: a daily diary study

Abstract

PurposeIncivility is pervasive in organisational settings, particularly in healthcare, and is associated with negative employee outcomes. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationships between experienced incivility, sleep quality and emotional outcomes, positioning sleep quality as a mediator. Additionally, the protective role of tenure and the unique effects of incivility from different sources were examined.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a daily diary longitudinal design using self-report questionnaires with 92 nurses of varying tenure.FindingsThis research demonstrates that experiencing incivility negatively impacts sleep quality, which, in turn, increases surface acting and emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, the negative relationship between incivility and sleep quality is attenuated among nurses who have longer tenure.Practical implicationsThese findings are helpful in developing targeted practical practices, such as incivility interventions and mentorship programs to reduce the incidence and impact of incivility.Originality/value This study draws upon theories of self-regulation and emotion regulation to examine how incivility diminishes self-control resources, leading to negative outcomes. This study also positions job tenure as a buffer against incivility and examines the differential impact of different sources of incivility.

They were uncivil, and now I am too: A dual process model exploring relations between customer incivility and instigated incivility

“…We wish to note that while the use of parcels is debated among organizational scholars (e.g., Marsh et al., 2013), research has found them to be useful in smaller samples (Rioux et al., 2020). Recent organizational research has employed these methods under similar sample constraints (e.g., Jacobsen & Beehr, 2022; Park et al., 2022; Tai et al., 2022). Finally, we again allowed the residual terms for our mediators to covary.…”

Daily association of stressors with perceived cognitive performance: Moderating role of age

“…Also, we expected that the extent to which perceived cognitive performance is degraded by daily stressors would be more apparent among nurses who are younger than those who are older, because age may provide better coping capability and more experience handling stressors (Almeida et al., 2011; Almeida & Horn, 2004; Folkman et al., 1987). Similarly, we expected that the extent which perceived cognitive performance is degraded by daily stressors would be more apparent among nurses with a shorter tenure, given a possible lack of resources and training to cope with daily stressors and cognitive demands simultaneously in this group (Park et al., 2022). Our results fully supported these expectations by showing that having more daily stressors degraded one's evaluation of cognitive performance throughout the day.…”

“…Adapting this to the nursing occupation, a more experienced nurse (i.e., those with a longer tenure on the job) may be better‐suited to cope with daily stressors given greater experience with balancing work roles with those outside of work. Further, the formal training obtained by nurses with a longer tenure may help them to be less susceptible to the effects of stressors on cognitive tasks (Park et al., 2022). Linking the age differences in stress and coping to the context of the current study, we explored whether the extent to which perceived cognitive performance is degraded by daily stressors may be more apparent among nurses who are younger (and/or with a shorter tenure) than those who are older (and/or with or longer tenure).…”

A review of the short‐term implications of discrete, episodic incivility

“…For example, experiments in which participants are asked to recall a specific instance of incivility in one's past (Ganster et al., 2022) or even imagining an uncivil interaction (Porath & Erez, 2007) tend to elicit negative affect. The affective outcomes of episodic incivility research include stress (Beattie & Griffin, 2014; Park et al., 2018; Schilpzand, Leavitt, & Lim, 2016), emotional exhaustion (Park et al., 2022), affective distress (Park et al., 2018), negative affect (Cooper et al., 2022; Foulk et al., 2016; Ganster et al., 2022; Porath & Erez, 2007; Reich & Hershcovis, 2015; Tremmel & Sonnentag, 2018; Zhou et al., 2022; Zhou et al., 2015), anger (Hershcovis & Bhatnagar, 2017), guilt (Hülsheger, van Gils, & Walkowiak, 2021), and negative mood (Adiyaman & Meier, 2022; Ganster et al., 2022; Vahle‐Hinz, 2019).…”