Workplace mistreatment and emotional exhaustion: The interaction effects of self-compassion

Extant research has shown that experiencing incivility and ostracism can increase the risk of emotional exhaustion, however, lesser is known about the factors that mitigate such risk. Framed through the conservation of resources theory, this study identifies and tests the hitherto unexplored moderating role of self-compassion in the relationships between workplace incivility and emotional exhaustion, and workplace ostracism and emotional exhaustion. A total of 310 employees working in the service-sector organizations (higher education institutions, banks, and telecom companies) in Pakistan participated in this cross-sectional study. While workplace incivility and workplace ostracism were positively correlated with emotional exhaustion, self-compassion was negatively correlated with workplace incivility, workplace ostracism, and emotional exhaustion. Results further revealed that self-compassion moderated the workplace incivility–emotional exhaustion and workplace ostracism–emotional exhaustion relationships such that people high in self-compassion felt less emotionally exhausted. The findings indicate that there is potential value in developing self-compassion, for which a number of interventions are discussed.