Threats of Workplace Violence and the Buffering Effect of Social Support

• Published in: Group & organization management Vol. 32; no. 2; pp. 152 - 175
• Main Authors: van Emmerik, IJ. Hetty, Euwema, Martin C., Bakker, Arnold B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA Sage Publications 01.04.2007; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Assaults; Attitudes to work; Behavior; Constabulary; Data analysis; Discriminant analysis; Employee attitude; Employees; Hypotheses; Job satisfaction; Netherlands; Occupational safety; Organizational behavior; Peer groups; Peer tutoring; Psychological aspects; Roles; Social support; Studies; Threats; Violence; Work place; Workplace violence; Netherlands; social support; workplace violence; psychological contract
• ISSN: 1059-6011; 1552-3993
• DOI: 10.1177/1059601106286784

Based on the perspective of the psychological contract, this study among 2,782 constabulary officers tested the hypothesis that threats of workplace violence lead to reduced job investments (i.e., affective organizational commitment and dedication). Multilevel analyses showed negative relationships between threats of workplace violence (individually experienced and as expressed in an unsafe climate) and job investments. Peer support was related to more job investments and buffered an unsafe climate, that is, the negative relationship between an unsafe climate and reduced job investments was stronger for employees with low levels of peer support. Experiencing an unsafe climate at the aggregate level by the cumulative experience of threat by employees can perhaps be thought of as facing a common enemy, and it has been shown that this has consequences for employees' attitudes that can be buffered by peer support.