Abusive supervision, occupational well-being and job performance: The critical role of attention–awareness mindfulness

Abstract

Drawing from the job demands–resources (JD-R) model, this study sets out to investigate two complementary mechanisms that underpin the connection between employees’ exposure to abusive supervision and diminished job performance – one that is health-related (higher emotional exhaustion) and another that is motivation-related (lower work engagement). It also examines how this harmful process might be contained by employees’ mindfulness, particularly as manifest in its attention–awareness component. Data collected across three points in time among employees and supervisors in different organizations show that the motivation-based mechanism is more prominent than its health-impairment counterpart in connecting abusive supervision with lower job performance. The results also reveal a buffering effect of employees’ mindfulness on their responses to abusive supervision. JEL Classification: M50