A study on the effect of workplace negativity factors on employee engagement mediated by emotional exhaustion

Abstract

Business development executives across industries face negativity in their work due to multiple reasons. The negative actions of one person and the impact caused may spread among the employees in an organization and can even affect their performance and the organization itself. This paper attempts to study the effect of negative factors like abusive supervision by managers and negative gossips that prevail in the organizations on employee engagement. It also aims at finding out the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion on employee engagement. The conceptual model for the study is supported by the earlier research conducted in this area and the whole study is based on this model. Data is collected from business development executives of both service based and product-based organizations in India. The sample consists of responses of 91 business development executives across India. From the analysis of data collected, abusive supervision and negative gossips have a positive effect on emotional exhaustion which in turn has a negative relationship with employee engagement.