When Bullying Drains Purpose: How Resilience and Passion Sustain Change Efforts

What is it about?

This study explores how workplace bullying—repeated exposure to hostile behavior—can discourage employees from engaging in change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), such as proposing improvements or initiating new ways of working. Grounded in Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, it argues that bullying depletes employees’ psychological resources by eroding their sense of work meaningfulness, leading them to conserve energy rather than invest in proactive change. Using data from employees in Portugal’s construction retail sector, the study shows that workplace bullying leads to meaningfulness deprivation—a loss of purpose or value in one’s work—which reduces willingness to go beyond formal duties. However, two personal resources, resilience and passion for work, buffer this effect. Resilient employees recover from emotional harm, while passionate ones stay engaged and purposeful. Together, these traits sustain change-oriented behavior despite a toxic social climate. The findings highlight that organizational innovation and adaptability can falter not just because of structural barriers, but because psychological resources are drained by incivility and disrespect. Promoting resilience and passion through supportive leadership, developmental programs, and recognition systems can therefore help employees reclaim purpose and continue contributing constructively—even when facing adversity.

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Photo by Jerry Zhang on Unsplash

Photo by Jerry Zhang on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study is unique in demonstrating that work meaningfulness deprivation is the critical psychological mechanism linking bullying to reduced change-oriented OCB, while resilience and passion for work act as restorative resources. It extends COR theory by showing that proactive behavior under adversity depends not only on conserving energy but on regenerating meaning through personal vitality and emotional investment. It is also timely, as many organizations are contending with burnout, workplace mistreatment, and post-pandemic disengagement. Conducted in Portugal, the study underscores that protecting employees’ sense of purpose is essential for sustaining innovation and improvement efforts. The research provides a hopeful message: even in environments marked by bullying, fostering resilience and passion can transform loss into renewal, allowing employees to keep driving positive change.