The dual outcomes of supervisor incivility: Exploring the roles of social sharing

This study investigates how supervisor incivility (SI) affects employees’ emotional and behavioral outcomes through social sharing of emotion (SSE) in the hospitality industry. Using daily experience sampling data from 73 restaurant employees over ten workdays, the study reveals that SI in the morning increases SSE in the afternoon, which leads to two distinct outcomes: heightened emotional venting, resulting in greater employee incivility toward customers, and increased co-worker satisfaction, enhancing workplace well-being. The moderating role of reappraisal—a cognitive emotion regulation strategy—is also examined. Findings indicate that employees high in reappraisal are less likely to engage in SSE following SI, weakening both the negative (venting–incivility) and positive (co-worker satisfaction–well-being) pathways. Multilevel path analysis using Bayesian estimation supports the dynamic, within-person relationships proposed. By identifying SSE as a pivotal mechanism linking SI to both desirable and undesirable outcomes, this study enriches affective events theory and advances understanding of emotion regulation in service settings. • Supervisor incivility triggers emotion sharing that shapes daily employee outcomes. • Social sharing fosters co-worker ties but may escalate negative emotional venting. • Emotional venting predicts incivility toward customers in hospitality settings. • Reappraisal buffers the impact of incivility by reducing the need to share emotions. • Experience sampling captures within-day effects of incivility and emotional coping.