Exposure to psychological aggression at work and job performance: The mediating role of job attitudes and personal health.

Despite the growing literature on workplace aggression and the importance of employee performance at work, few studies have examined the relation between workplace aggression and job performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations between psychological aggression at work and...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Work & Stress Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 23 - 41
Autores principales: Schat, Aaron C. H., Frone, Michael R.
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Jan-Mar2011
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:Despite the growing literature on workplace aggression and the importance of employee performance at work, few studies have examined the relation between workplace aggression and job performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations between psychological aggression at work and two forms of job performance (task performance and contextual performance) and potential mediators of these relations. Based on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and prior research, a model was developed and tested in which overall job attitudes (i.e., job satisfaction and organizational commitment) and overall personal health (i.e., physical and psychological health) fully mediate the relations between exposure to psychological aggression at work and both task performance and contextual performance. Data were obtained from a national probability sample of US workers (N=2376) and the model was tested using structural equation modelling. The results supported the hypothesized model, demonstrating that exposure to psychological aggression at work negatively predicted both task performance and contextual performance, and that these relations were explained by decrements in job attitudes and health associated with exposure to psychological aggression at work.