Abstract:
Employees who engage in Voluntary Workplace Behaviors (VWBs) often
anticipate positive responses and recognition within the organization due to the
benefits these behaviors offer to the overall workplace environment. However,
real-world and literature evidence proved that engaging in these VWBs
occasionally results in mistreatment. Addressing this anomaly, this exploratory
study delved into the mistreatments experienced by employees engaging in
VWBs from the victim’s perspective. The study pursued three research
objectives: firstly, to identify diverse forms of mistreatment experienced by
employees engaged in VWBs; secondly, to examine, the reactions of victims to
these various forms of mistreatment; and thirdly to explore the (3) perceived
reasons behind the mistreatments encountered by the victims. Grounded on the
Interpretivism paradigm, this study employed an inductive approach using
qualitative research methodology. Multiple case studies were adopted as the
research strategy. Employing purposive and snowballing sampling methods ten
employees were selected from both Sri Lankan private and public sector
workplaces who experienced workplace mistreatment due to their VWBs.
Subsequently in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the data
were analyzed using content analysis. Outcomes of the initial objective revealed
that mistreatments encompassed instances where the victim experienced the
perpetrator’s inactive attention, undermining, false accusative acts, suspicion,
unbearable work stressors, interruptions, exclusionary acts, verbal harassment,
hidden mistreatments, and inactive collaboration. According to the findings of
the second objective behavioral reactions, psychological reactions, and other
reactions such as reactions according to the situations and based on intuitions
were found as the main reactions of victims. Individual-level factors, group-level
dynamics, and organizational-level elements were found as the perceived reasons
for mistreatments. The current study enhances the literature because this is a
novel endeavor that examined three aspects; forms, reasons, and reactions of
employee mistreatment in a single study, and this is a fresh perspective for
organizations to look into VWBs.
