Social Psychology and Society
2025. Vol. 16, no. 1, 89–104
doi:10.17759/sps.2025160105
ISSN: 2221-1527 / 2311-7052 (online)
Examining the Effect of Workplace Incivility on Affective Job Insecurity: Insights from Vietnam
Abstract
Objective. This study examines the impact of workplace incivility from coworkers and supervisors on employees' affective job insecurity in Vietnam and explores the moderating role of collectivist value orientation.
Background. While workplace incivility negatively affects employees' psychological well-being and job security, most research has focused on Western contexts. This study addresses the gap by investigating these dynamics in Vietnam, where collectivist values and high power distance are prevalent.
Study Design. The study employs a cross-sectional design with survey data collected from employees in various Vietnamese organizations. The relationships are analyzed using hierarchical regression.
Participants. The study sample consists of 359 employees from diverse industries in Vietnam.
Measurements. Workplace incivility was measured using the Workplace Incivility Scale, affective job insecurity through a seven-item scale, and collectivist value orientation using a six-item scale.
Results. Both coworker and supervisor incivility significantly increase affective job insecurity, with supervisor incivility having a stronger effect. Collectivist value orientation moderates the relationship between coworker incivility and job insecurity but not supervisor incivility.
Conclusions. The study highlights the stronger impact of supervisor incivility on job insecurity and the role of cultural values in shaping responses to incivility, suggesting that HR practices should align with collectivist values in Vietnamese organizations.
General Information
Keywords: incivility; coworker incivility; affective job insecurity; collectivist value orientation
Journal rubric: Empirical Research
Article type: scientific article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/sps.2025160105
Received: 27.07.2024
Accepted:
For citation: Ma T.N., Vu H.V., Dao T.X.A., Nguyen T.K. Examining the Effect of Workplace Incivility on Affective Job Insecurity: Insights from Vietnam. Sotsial'naya psikhologiya i obshchestvo = Social Psychology and Society, 2025. Vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 89–104. DOI: 10.17759/sps.2025160105.
Full text
Introduction
Literature review
Workplace Incivility and Job Insecurity
The Moderating Effects of Individualism–Collectivism Orientation
Methods
Participants and Procedure
Measures
Results
Preliminary Analyses
Level |
Mean |
SD |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Individual |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1. Age |
30,00 |
5,31 |
|
|
|
|
|
2. Gendera |
0,41 |
0,49 |
–0,07 |
|
|
|
|
3. Supervisor incivility |
1,74 |
0,69 |
0,07 |
–0,13* |
|
|
|
4. Coworker incivility |
1,69 |
0,71 |
–0,02 |
–0,01 |
0,72** |
|
|
5. Job insecurity |
2,05 |
0,73 |
–0,19** |
0,02 |
0,36** |
0,35** |
|
6. Collectivist value orientation |
2,03 |
0,65 |
0,12* |
–0,07 |
0,19** |
0,16** |
0,31** |
Independent and control variable |
Anger |
|||
Model 1 |
Model 2 |
Model 3 |
Model 4 |
|
Age |
–0,19*** |
–0,21*** |
–0,23*** |
–0,21*** |
Gendera |
0,01 |
0,04 |
0,06 |
0,04 |
Supervisor incivility |
|
0,28*** |
0,24*** |
0,23*** |
Coworker incivility |
|
0,15* |
0,13 |
0,11 |
Collectivist value orientation (CO) |
|
|
0,27*** |
0,26*** |
Interaction |
|
|
|
|
Coworker incivility × CO |
|
|
|
0,20** |
Supervisor incivility × CO |
|
|
|
0,05 |
R2 |
0,04 |
0,19 |
0,26 |
0,32 |
∆R2 |
|
0,15 |
0,05 |
0,06 |

Discussion
Theoretical Implications
Practical Implications
Conclusion
Limitation
References
- Al-Romeedy B.S., El-Sisi S. Does workplace incivility affect travel agency performance through innovation, organizational citizenship behaviors, and organizational commitment? Tourism Review, 2024. Vol. 79, no. 8, pp. 1474-1491. DOI: 10.1108/TR-06-2023-0389.
- Alias M., Ojo A.O., Ameruddin N.F.L. Workplace incivility: the impact on the Malaysian public service department. European Journal of Training and Development, 2022. Vol. 46, no. 3/4, pp. 356-372. DOI: 10.1108/EJTD-02-2020-0031.
- Andersson L.M., Pearson C.M. Tit for tat? The spiraling effect of incivility in the workplace. Academy of Management Review, 1999. Vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 452-471. DOI: 10.5465/amr.1999.2202131.
- Astakhova M.N. The Curvilinear Relationship between Work Passion and Organizational Citizenship Behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 2015. Vol. 130, no. 2, pp. 361-374. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-014-2233-5.
- Chen Y.Y., et al. Self-love's lost labor: A self-enhancement model of workplace incivility. Academy of Management Journal, 2013. Vol. 56, no. 4, pp. 1199-1219. DOI: 10.5465/amj.2010.0906.
- Cheng G.H.-L., Chan D.K.-S. Who Suffers More from Job Insecurity? A Meta-Analytic Review. Applied Psychology, 2008. Vol. 57, no. 2, pp. 272-303. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2007.00312.x.
- Cho M., et al. Workplace incivility and its effect upon restaurant frontline service employee emotions and service performance. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 2016. Vol. 28, no. 12, pp. 2888-2912. DOI: 10.1108/IJCHM-04-2015-0205.
- Cortina L.M., et al. Incivility in the workplace: Incidence and impact. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 2001. Vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 64-80. DOI: 10.1037/1076-8998.6.1.64.
- Cortina L.M., Hershcovis M.S., Clancy K.B.H. The Embodiment of Insult: A Theory of Biobehavioral Response to Workplace Incivility. Journal of Management, 2021. Vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 738-763. DOI: 10.1177/0149206321989798.
- Cortina L.M., Hershcovis M.S., Clancy K.B.H. The Embodiment of Insult: A Theory of Biobehavioral Response to Workplace Incivility. Journal of Management, 2022. Vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 738-763. DOI: 10.1177/0149206321989798.
- Daniels M.A., Greguras G.J. Exploring the Nature of Power Distance: Implications for Micro- and Macro-Level Theories, Processes, and Outcomes. Journal of Management, 2014. Vol. 40, no. 5, pp. 1202-1229. DOI: 10.1177/0149206314527131.
- Davy J.A., Kinicki A.J.,. Scheck C.L. A Test of Job Security's Direct and Mediated Effects on Withdrawal Cognitions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 1997. Vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 323-349.
- De Clercq D., Haq I.U., Azeem M.U. Why happy employees help: How meaningfulness, collectivism, and support transform job satisfaction into helping behaviours. Personnel Review, 2019. Vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 1001-1021. DOI: 10.1108/PR-02-2018-0052.
- Durmuş A., et al. The effect of nurses' perceived workplace incivility on their presenteeism and turnover intention: The mediating role of work stress and psychological resilience. International Nursing Review, 2024. Vol. 71, no. 4, pp. 960-968. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12950.
- Dyne L.V., et al. Collectivism, propensity to trust and self-esteem as predictors of organizational citizenship in a non-work setting. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2000. Vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 3-23. DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(200002)21:1<3::AID-JOB47>3.0.CO;2-6.
- Grandey A.A., Kern J.H., Frone M.R. Verbal abuse from outsiders versus insiders: Comparing frequency, impact on emotional exhaustion, and the role of emotional labor. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 2007. Vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 63-79. DOI: 10.1037/1076-8998.12.1.63.
- Grandey A.A., et al. Emotion display rules at work in the global service economy: the special case of the customer. Journal of Service Management, 2010. Vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 388-412. DOI: 10.1108/09564231011050805.
- Greenhalgh L., Rosenblatt Z. Job Insecurity: Toward Conceptual Clarity. The Academy of Management Review, 1984. Vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 438-448. DOI: 10.2307/258284.
- Guo J., et al. Individualism and Collectivism as Predictors of Creative Potentials and Real-Life Creativity in China and US. Creativity Research Journal, 2025. Vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 120-131. DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2023.2217028.
- Guo J., Qiu Y., Gan Y. Workplace incivility and work engagement: The mediating role of job insecurity and the moderating role of self-perceived employability. Managerial and Decision Economics, 2022. Vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 192-205. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/mde.3377.
- Han S., et al. A meta-analysis integrating 20 years of workplace incivility research: Antecedents, consequences, and boundary conditions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2022. Vol. 43, no. 3, pp. 497-523. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2568.
- He Y.M., et al. Explaining the negative impact of workplace incivility on work and non-work outcomes: The roles of negative rumination and organizational support. Stress and Health, 2021. Vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 297-309. DOI: 10.1002/smi.2988.
- Hershcovis M.S., Barling J. Towards a multi-foci approach to workplace aggression: A meta-analytic review of outcomes from different perpetrators. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2010. Vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 24-44. DOI: 10.1002/job.621.
- Hershcovis M.S., et al. Targeted workplace incivility: The roles of belongingness, embarrassment, and power. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2017. Vol. 38, no. 7, pp. 1057-1075. DOI: 10.1002/job.2183.
- Hoang Nguyen Tran Q. Workplace Incivility and Its Demographic Characteristics: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between Chinese and Vietnamese Working Adults. SAGE Open, 2023. Vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 21582440231184858. DOI: 10.1177/21582440231184858.
- Hofstede G. Culture and Organizations. International Studies of Management & Organization, 1980. Vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 15-41. DOI: 10.1080/00208825.1980.11656300.
- Hofstede G. Motivation, leadership, and organization: Do American theories apply abroad? Organizational Dynamics, 1980. Vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 42-63. DOI: 10.1016/0090-2616(80)90013-3.
- Hofstede G., Hofstede G.J., Minkov M. Cultures and organizations: software of the mind: intercultural cooperation and its importance for survival. 3 ed. 2010, New York ; London: McGraw-Hill.
- Huang G.-H., et al. Affective Job Insecurity: A Mediator of Cognitive Job Insecurity and Employee Outcomes Relationships. International Studies of Management & Organization, 2010. Vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 20-39.
- Islam Z.U., et al. How and when perceived job search incivility leads to reduced job search behavior. Personnel Review, 2023. Vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 1273-1290. DOI: 10.1108/PR-07-2019-0401.
- Jaw B.S., et al. The impact of culture on Chinese employees' work values. Personnel Review, 2007. Vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 128-144. DOI: 10.1108/00483480710716759.
- Jorgensen F., et al. Kick me while I’m down: Modeling employee differences of the impact of workplace incivility on employees' health and wellbeing. Human Resource Management Review, 2024. Vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 100999. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2023.100999.
- Kavaklı B.D., Yildirim N. The relationship between workplace incivility and turnover intention in nurses: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Nursing Management, 2022. Vol. 30, no. 5, pp. 1235-1242. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13594.
- Kirkman B.L., Lowe K.B., Gibson C.B. A quarter century of Culture's Consequences: a review of empirical research incorporating Hofstede's cultural values framework. Journal of International Business Studies, 2006. Vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 285-320. DOI: 10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400202.
- Kivimaki M., et al. Justice at work and reduced risk of coronary heart disease among employees - The Whitehall II Study. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2005. Vol. 165, no. 19, pp. 2245-2251. DOI: 10.1001/archinte.165.19.2245.
- Lam S.S.K., Schaubroeck J., Aryee S. Relationship between organizational justice and employee work outcomes: a cross-national study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2002. Vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 1-18. DOI: 10.1002/job.131.
- Langlieb A.M., Langlieb M.E., Xiong W. EAP 2.0: reimagining the role of the employee assistance program in the new workplace. International Review of Psychiatry, 2021. Vol. 33, no. 8, pp. 699-710. DOI: 10.1080/09540261.2021.2013172.
- Leiter M.P., et al. Getting better and staying better: Assessing civility, incivility, distress, and job attitudes one year after a civility intervention. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 2012. Vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 425-434. DOI: 10.1037/a0029540.
- Leiter M.P., et al. The impact of civility interventions on employee social behavior, distress, and attitudes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2011. Vol. 96, no. 6, pp. 1258-1274. DOI: 10.1037/a0024442.
- Lin Y., Zhang Y.C., Oyserman D. Seeing meaning even when none may exist: Collectivism increases belief in empty claims. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2022. Vol. 122, no. 3, pp. 351-366. DOI: 10.1037/pspa0000280.
- Liu P., An X., Li X. You are an outsider! How and when observed leader incivility affect hospitality employees’ social categorization and deviant behavior. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 2022. Vol. 106, no. pp. 103273. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103273.
- Matsumoto D., et al. Mapping expressive differences around the world - The relationship between emotional display rules and individualism versus collectivism. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 2008. Vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 55-74. DOI: 10.1177/0022022107311854.
- Miner-Rubino K., Reed W.D. Testing a Moderated Mediational Model of Workgroup Incivility The Roles of Organizational Trust and Group Regard. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 2010. Vol. 40, no. 12, pp. 3148-3168. DOI: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2010.00695.x.
- Moorman R.H., Blakely G.L. Individualism-collectivism as an individual difference predictor of organizational citizenship behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 1995. Vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 127-142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030160204.
- Mulki J.P., et al. Regulation of emotions, interpersonal conflict, and job performance for salespeople. Journal of Business Research, 2015. Vol. 68, no. 3, pp. 623-630. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.08.009.
- Naeem R.M., et al. Supervisor incivility and counterproductive work behavior: the role of job and personal resources. Personnel Review, 2024. Vol. 53, no. 4, pp. 857-876. DOI: 10.1108/PR-09-2022-0603.
- Naranjo A., et al. When minor insecurities project large shadows: A profile analysis of cognitive and affective job insecurity. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 2021. Vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 421-436. DOI: 10.1037/ocp0000294.
- Owuamalam C.K., et al. Cultural group norms for harmony explain the puzzling negative association between objective status and system justification in Asia. European Journal of Social Psychology, 2023. Vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 245-267. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2901.
- Parray Z.A., Islam S.U., Shah T.A. Exploring the effect of workplace incivility on job outcomes: testing the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 2023. Vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 161-179. DOI: 10.1108/JOEPP-07-2022-0178.
- Patterson P.G., Cowley E., Prasongsukarn K. Service failure recovery: The moderating impact of individual-level cultural value orientation on perceptions of justice. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 2006. Vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 263-277. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2006.02.004.
- Pearson C.M., Andersson L.M., Porath C.L. Assessing and attacking workplace incivility. Organizational Dynamics, 2000. Vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 123-137. DOI: 10.1016/S0090-2616(00)00019-X.
- Podsakoff P.M., et al. Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2003. Vol. 88, no. 5, pp. 879-903. DOI: 10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879.
- Porath C.L., Overbeck J.R., Pearson C.M. Picking Up the Gauntlet: How Individuals Respond to Status Challenges. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 2008. Vol. 38, no. 7, pp. 1945-1980. DOI: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2008.00375.x.
- Porath C.L., Pearson C.M. Emotional and Behavioral Responses to Workplace Incivility and the Impact of Hierarchical Status. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 2012. Vol. 42, no. S1, pp. E326-E357. DOI: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2012.01020.x.
- Qin X., et al. Collectivism Impairs Team Performance When Relational Goals Conflict With Group Goals. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2022. Vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 119-132. DOI: 10.1177/01461672221123776.
- Rego A., Cunha M.P. How individualism–collectivism orientations predict happiness in a collectivistic context. Journal of Happiness Studies, 2009. Vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 19-35. DOI: 10.1007/s10902-007-9059-0.
- Riekhoff A.-J., Ojala S., Pyöriä P. Career stability in turbulent times: A cross-cohort study of mid-careers in Finland. Acta Sociologica, 2021. Vol. 64, no. 4, pp. 437-458. DOI: 10.1177/0001699320983422.
- Rodwell D., Frith H. ‘A ward full of emotional, aggressive people’: Social climate and interpersonal relationships in forensic settings caring for patients with borderline personality disorder. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 2024. Vol. n/a, no. n/a, pp. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13308.
- Schilpzand P., de Pater I.E., Erez A. Workplace incivility: A review of the literature and agenda for future research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2016. Vol. 37, no. pp. S57-S88. DOI: 10.1002/job.1976.
- Schwab D.P. Research methods for organizational studies. 2013, New York, NY: Psychology Press.
- Shieh G. Detecting Interaction Effects in Moderated Multiple Regression With Continuous Variables Power and Sample Size Considerations. Organizational Research Methods, 2009. Vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 510-528. DOI: 10.1177/1094428108320370.
- Sliter M., et al. The differential effects of interpersonal conflict from customers and coworkers: Trait anger as a moderator. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 2011. Vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 424-440. DOI: 10.1037/a0023874.
- Son S., Yang T.S., Park J. How organizational politics and subjective social status moderate job insecurity–silence relationships. Journal of Management & Organization, 2022. Vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 266-286. DOI: 10.1017/jmo.2022.54.
- Strydom D.B. Ethical leadership and performance: The effect of follower individualism-collectivism. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 2021. Vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 261-283. DOI: 10.1177/14705958211013395.
- Tano A.Y., et al. Leader-member exchange and organizational citizenship behaviour: The moderator effects of subordinates’ horizontal collectivism orientation and team-member exchange. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 2023. Vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 507-530. DOI: 10.1177/14705958231212050.
- Taylor S.G., Bedeian A.G., Kluemper D.H. Linking workplace incivility to citizenship performance: The combined effects of affective commitment and conscientiousness. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2012. Vol. 33, no. 7, pp. 878-893. DOI: 10.1002/job.773.
- Tomé Pires C., et al. Relationship between structural empowerment and work engagement in the health-care sector in Portugal: the mediating role of civility. Management Research: Journal of the Iberoamerican Academy of Management, 2025. Vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 90-111. DOI: 10.1108/MRJIAM-05-2023-1421.
- Truong T.D., Hallinger P., Sanga K. Confucian values and school leadership in Vietnam: Exploring the influence of culture on principal decision making. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 2016. Vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 77-100. DOI: 10.1177/1741143215607877.
- Umar M., Fatima H., Shah S.A.A. Enhancing customer civility: Integrating civility climate behaviors and self-service technology. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 2024. Vol. 0, no. 0, pp. 14673584241299738. DOI: 10.1177/14673584241299738.
- Unim B., et al. Translation and validation of the Italian version of the incivility in nursing education-revised scale. Applied Nursing Research, 2023. Vol. 73, no. pp. 151728. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2023.151728.
- van Vuuren C.V., Klandermans P.G. Individual reactions to job insecurity: An integrated model, in European perspectives in psychology. Vol. 3. Work and organizational, social and economic, cross-cultural. Oxford, England: John Wiley & Sons, 1990, pp. 133-146.
- Ye Z., Liu H., Gu J. Relationships between conflicts and employee perceived job performance. International Journal of Conflict Management, 2019. Vol. 30, no. 5, pp. 706-728. DOI: 10.1108/IJCMA-01-2019-0010.
- Yıkılmaz İ., Sürücü L. Leader–member exchange as a mediator of the relationship between authentic leadership and employee creativity. Journal of Management & Organization, 2021. Vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 159-172. DOI: 10.1017/jmo.2021.23.
- Zhan X., Li Z., Luo W. An identification-based model of workplace incivility and employee creativity: evidence from China. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 2019. Vol. 57, no. 4, pp. 528-552. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12204.
- Zhao L., Lee J., Moon S. Employee response to CSR in China: the moderating effect of collectivism. Personnel Review, 2019. Vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 839-863. DOI: 10.1108/PR-05-2017-0146.
Information About the Authors
Metrics
Views
Total: 32
Previous month: 6
Current month: 26
Downloads
Total: 4
Previous month: 0
Current month: 4