The Relationship Among Workplace Incivility, Emotional Exhaustion, and Counterproductive Work Behavior as Perceived by Airline Cabin Crew

This study aims to empirically examine the relationship between workplace incivility, emotional exhaustion, and counterproductive work behavior (CWB) as perceived by airline cabin crew members. Drawing upon Affective Events Theory, the research explores how perceived incivility from supervisors and coworkers affects emotional exhaustion, and how this, in turn, influences CWB. Survey data were collected from 231 flight attendants working at both full-service and low-cost carriers in South Korea. The findings reveal that both supervisor and coworker incivility have a statistically significant positive impact on emotional exhaustion, with coworker incivility exerting a relatively stronger influence. Furthermore, both forms of incivility significantly predict CWB. Emotional exhaustion also has a strong positive effect on CWB, and acts as a partial mediator in the relationship between workplace incivility and CWB. These results highlight the importance of addressing incivility in airline organizations, and suggest that interventions aimed at reducing emotional exhaustion may help mitigate dysfunctional workplace behaviors. This study provides theoretical and practical implications for human resource management and organizational behavior within the airline service sector.