Most people have probably experienced a job they hated, struggled with, or just wanted to leave. However, there are certain situations when employees feel stuck at their jobs, even when they have the desire to leave. As stuck employees may harbor negative feelings toward their workplace or engage in bad behavior, researchers (Phillips et al., 2024) examined the extent to which they may take revenge on their organization.
THE RESEARCH STUDY
The researchers used an online survey to gather data from 327 employees across a variety of industries. The employees were assigned to read about one of three conditions: one where their company made a decision that protected employee safety, one where the decision decreased employee safety, or one where the decision was neutral. Then, the employees were asked to report on how much organizational support they felt and how much they wanted to retaliate against the company.
The researchers found that, in general, when employees felt supported by their organization, they had decreased intention to retaliate. However, employees who felt stuck at their jobs had higher retaliation intentions, regardless of the organizational support they felt. Finally, when employees encountered decisions that threatened or worsened employee safety, they perceived lower levels of organizational support and had increased intention to retaliate.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
This research highlights the possible retaliatory desires of stuck employees, even when their organization attempts to provide support. To help mitigate potential retaliatory behavior, organizations should consider doing the following:
- Seek to develop good interpersonal relationships between leaders and employees. This may provide employees with opportunities to raise concerns or frustrations before retaliation intentions fully develop.
- Communicate transparently about the reasons for decisions or changes.
- Prioritize employee safety when making critical decisions.
- Continue to provide high levels of organizational support to all employees.
Philips, J. M., Roumpi, D., Magrizos, S., & Moraes, C. (2024). Examining retaliation intentions among stuck employees. Journal of Business and Psychology. Advance online publication.
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