Linking workplace spirituality, workplace incivility and employee silence: moderating role of dark triad

Purpose This study aimed to observe the effect of workplace spirituality (WPS) on employee silence. In addition, the study investigated the mediating role of workplace incivility on the relationship of WPS with employee silence. We further explored the WPS–workplace incivility link by testing the dark triad as the moderator. Design/methodology/approach We collected time-lagged data from 403 employees in the Indian hospitality industry. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Partial Least Squares - Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) were used to observe the linkages among the study variables. Findings The results revealed that WPS is associated negatively with employee silence. The dark triad moderated the association between WPS and workplace incivility. Workplace incivility significantly mediated the association between WPS and employee silence. Practical implications The study findings would help organizations in promoting WPS to alleviate the occurrences of uncivil behavior at work and comprehend the negative consequences of workplace incivility such as employee silence. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to explore the linkage between WPS and employee silence. The paper makes a significant contribution by analyzing the interactive effect of personal (dark triad), environmental (WPS) and behavioral (workplace incivility) factors on employee silence.