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Introduction
Workplace incivility is defined as “low-intensity deviant behavior with ambiguous intent to harm the target, in violation of workplace norms for mutual respect” (Andersson and Pearson, 1999, p. 457). Incivility is epitomized by audacious, ill-bred or discourteous actions. Coworker incivility is among the main sources of incivility (Arasli et al., 2018). Incivility disrupts the status quo; as their frequency mounts, they become the status quo. Thoughtless words add to thoughtless deeds and a downward spiral suck; this erodes the workplace, and its reversal is laborious, at best. Given employees emotional charge, acts of incivility may be catalysts for resetting organizational norms (Pearson et al., 2001). According to Hutton and Gates (2008), workplace incivility in healthcare enterprises is costly for both the target individuals, observers and the enterprise itself, in that such behavior cost US$1,235 per health worker assistant and US$1,484 per registered health worker in lost productivity.
A set of occupational and non-occupational predictors of psychological distress among incumbent health workers have been investigated by prior studies, and these predictors include social balance, support framework, strains, stress, job demand and personality traits (Kunie et al., 2017; Van der Heijden et al., 2017). Having said so, psychological, social and physical resources are elements that boost psychological well-being among incumbent health workers. The absence of these elements may yield the negative affect such as psychological distress – a state characterized by unpleasant feelings, negativity and emotional discomfort that interferes with an individual’s daily activities. Healthcare workers do not only go through emotional and physical stress at work but are also exposed to psychological and mechanical stress; recent studies suggest that health personnel are among the occupational groups where psychological distress is prevalent (Abubakar, 2018; Van der Heijden et al., 2017; Zhou et al., 2017).
Numerous studies asserted that support from colleagues, supervisors and top management are associated with positive healthcare workers mental health such as psychological distress (Kunie et al., 2017; Van der Heijden et al., 2017). It is imperatively useful for healthcare enterprises to know on-the-job, work related, non-work-related and personal factors associated with distress. Insights would allow human resource managers and administrators to formulate strategies aimed at reducing distress. Favorable work environment and workplace socialization can...