Scholarlink

Background <p>Harmful workplace conduct—verbal aggression, authority misuse, and discriminatory practices—compromises employee well-being, organizational fairness, and psychological safety. Theoretically grounded qualitative research in non-Western, collectivist settings remains scarce. This single-case, exploratory qualitative study examines how employees at a large Saudi multinational experience unacceptable workplace behavior, focusing on organizational justice, psychological safety, and employee voice. Drawing on Organizational Justice Theory and Psychological Safety Theory, the study frames misconduct as justice violations that erode safety conditions and suppress voice.</p> Methods <p>This single-case exploratory study triangulated two evidence sources: (1) thematic analysis of 222 employee-generated comments from the organization’s internal social media (collected in 2014), and (2) 39 semi-structured interviews across job levels, functions, and nationalities (2017–2020). The temporal gap between sources reflects the inquiry’s longitudinal depth; the interview phase explicitly examined whether patterns observed in earlier comments persisted over time.</p> Results <p>The analysis produced five principal themes: (1) widespread power imbalances and authority misuse; (2) organizational silence driven by fear of reprisal; (3) entrenched violations of organizational justice; (4) breaches of the psychological contract coupled with institutional distrust; and (5) cultural and situational dynamics influenced by hierarchical norms, collectivist values, and religious principles.</p> Conclusion <p>The study advances theory through the Justice–Safety Vicious Cycle Model—an interpretive framework grounded in participants’ accounts—demonstrating the reciprocal, self-reinforcing link between justice violations and the erosion of psychological safety. Empirically, it offers rare qualitative insight into Saudi organizational conduct, including the novel phenomenon of weaponizing performance management. Practically, it provides evidence-based guidance for culturally attuned interventions to restore psychological safety and reinforce leadership accountability.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Breaking the silence: employees’ experiences of workplace mistreatment

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月21日

查看全文
  • Mohamed Mohiya

摘要

Background

Harmful workplace conduct—verbal aggression, authority misuse, and discriminatory practices—compromises employee well-being, organizational fairness, and psychological safety. Theoretically grounded qualitative research in non-Western, collectivist settings remains scarce. This single-case, exploratory qualitative study examines how employees at a large Saudi multinational experience unacceptable workplace behavior, focusing on organizational justice, psychological safety, and employee voice. Drawing on Organizational Justice Theory and Psychological Safety Theory, the study frames misconduct as justice violations that erode safety conditions and suppress voice.

Methods

This single-case exploratory study triangulated two evidence sources: (1) thematic analysis of 222 employee-generated comments from the organization’s internal social media (collected in 2014), and (2) 39 semi-structured interviews across job levels, functions, and nationalities (2017–2020). The temporal gap between sources reflects the inquiry’s longitudinal depth; the interview phase explicitly examined whether patterns observed in earlier comments persisted over time.

Results

The analysis produced five principal themes: (1) widespread power imbalances and authority misuse; (2) organizational silence driven by fear of reprisal; (3) entrenched violations of organizational justice; (4) breaches of the psychological contract coupled with institutional distrust; and (5) cultural and situational dynamics influenced by hierarchical norms, collectivist values, and religious principles.

Conclusion

The study advances theory through the Justice–Safety Vicious Cycle Model—an interpretive framework grounded in participants’ accounts—demonstrating the reciprocal, self-reinforcing link between justice violations and the erosion of psychological safety. Empirically, it offers rare qualitative insight into Saudi organizational conduct, including the novel phenomenon of weaponizing performance management. Practically, it provides evidence-based guidance for culturally attuned interventions to restore psychological safety and reinforce leadership accountability.