When Workplace Incivility Reduces Helping: The Buffering Role of Political Skill

What is it about?

This study investigates how workplace incivility—low-intensity disrespectful behavior such as rudeness or exclusion—reduces employees’ willingness to help others at work, and how this process is shaped by job dissatisfaction and political skill. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, the authors argue that incivility drains employees’ emotional and psychological resources, leading to frustration and dissatisfaction. To conserve what remains, employees may withdraw from prosocial acts like helping, which require additional time and emotional effort. Using survey data from employees in Pakistan’s service sector, the study finds that job dissatisfaction mediates the relationship between incivility and helping behavior. Employees who experience incivility report higher dissatisfaction, which in turn reduces their willingness to assist colleagues. However, this harmful chain is weakened among employees with high political skill—the ability to understand others and navigate social dynamics effectively. Politically skilled employees are better equipped to interpret uncivil acts strategically and maintain cooperative relationships despite interpersonal challenges. Practically, the findings suggest that organizations can mitigate the effects of incivility by cultivating political skill and emotional awareness among employees. Training programs that enhance interpersonal sensitivity and conflict management can help employees maintain helping behaviors even in tense social environments, protecting teamwork and morale.

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Photo by Rifki Kurniawan on Unsplash

Photo by Rifki Kurniawan on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This research is unique in showing how job dissatisfaction serves as a key psychological mechanism linking incivility to reduced helping, and how political skill buffers this effect. By combining emotional and social resource perspectives, it advances COR theory and deepens understanding of how employees respond to subtle yet pervasive workplace mistreatment. The study is particularly timely as modern organizations increasingly recognize the cost of incivility on collaboration and engagement. Conducted in Pakistan, it demonstrates how political competence helps employees preserve emotional energy and sustain prosocial behavior even in challenging environments. The findings encourage managers to view political skill not as manipulation, but as a valuable social resource that supports cooperation, resilience, and organizational harmony.