Understanding the Impact of Workplace Incivility on Employee Health Outcomes: A Comprehensive Literature Review

Description

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23496276

S. JaySree and N. Annalakshmi (Department of Psychology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu)

Workplace incivility has become a major source of psychosocial stress in modern organizations as it negatively affects employee wellbeing and organization functioning. While workplace incivility is generally described as minor acts of rudeness like disrespect, exclusion, interruption, and dismissive communication, repeated exposure to such acts can decrease employee’s psychological functioning, communication patterns, and health outcomes. The present review critically examines the existing literature on workplace incivility, workplace silence, burnout, employee health outcomes, and the protective role of positive psychological resources such as hope, resilience, and work engagement. Relevant articles were collected from electronic databases and academic search platforms, including Google Scholar, ResearchGate, ScienceDirect, APA-PsycArticles, SpringerLink, Wiley Online Library, Taylor and Francis Online and JSTOR. Relevant studies were identified using keywords related to workplace incivility, workplace silence, burnout, employee health, psychological well-being, physical health, resilience, hope, and work engagement. The findings of the review show that workplace incivility is frequently related to higher levels of psychological distress, emotional exhaustion, workplace silence, decrease in job satisfaction, and overall decline in employee well-being. Moreover, Workplace silence acts as a behavioural reaction to uncivil workplace experiences which may lead to burnout. Burnout, in turn, has been linked to both psychological and physical health problems among employees. The studies highlight the important role that positive psychological resources like hope, resilience, and work engagement play in mitigating the negative effects of workplace stressors. The review therefore provides a conceptual foundation for developing an integrated framework to better understand the processes through which workplace incivility affects employee health and well-being.