Fragile Heart: How Workplace Incivility Affects Volunteer Outcomes

Abstract This study investigates the impact of workplace incivility on volunteer outcomes, a critical but long-overlooked issue in the nonprofit sector. Utilizing three-wave dyadic data from 2,320 volunteers and their managers in China, we examine the mediating role of psychological contract violation and the moderating role of just-world beliefs in this relationship. Our findings reveal that psychological contract violations play a crucial mediating role, linking workplace incivility to decreased volunteer performance and increased turnover intentions. In addition, volunteers’ just-world beliefs positively moderate this relationship, such that the positive association between workplace incivility and psychological contract violation is stronger when volunteers have higher levels of just-world beliefs. This research extends the application of psychological contract theory to the volunteer sector and offers insights for nonprofit organizations to enhance their management practices and better support volunteers facing incivility.