The Role of Job Stress and Emotional Exhaustion in the Relationship between Social Undermining and Employee Performance

Employees’ supportive relations with their managers and coworkers enable their job easier and more pleasant whereas stressful relations affect their psychological health in a negative way and decrease their job performance. In this context in the study, the effect of managerial social undermining behaviors on job performance is examined. Moreover, the multiple serial mediator roles of job stress and emotional exhaustion in this relationship are also investigated. For this purpose, the data used in the study is collected from 367 nurses working in private and public hospitals in Adana. Within the context of the research firstly confirmatory factor analysis is conducted in order to reveal the construct validity (χ/sd = 1,77; p ,01; CFI = ,96; TLI = ,96; RMSEA = ,05; SRMR = ,03). Moreover, regarding the reliability of the scales used in the study Cronbach Alpha, internal consistency coefficient is taken into consideration and it is revealed that the social undermining, job stress, emotional exhaustion, and performance scales are reliable with the coefficients of ,96; ,92; ,94 ve ,92. The relationships between the variables are produced with correlation analysis and the results are proved statistically significant. In order to test the model structural equation modelling and serial multiple mediation analysis regarding bootstrap method are used. Research findings revealed that managerial social undermining behavior has a negative effect on employee performance and a positive effect on job stress and emotional exhaustion. Moreover, it is revealed that job stress and emotional exhaustion have negative effects on performance. In addition to these, the results showed that job stress has a mediating role in the relationship between social undermining and job performance. Similarly, it is asserted that emotional exhaustion has a mediating role in the relationship between social undermining and job performance. Furthermore, job stress and emotional exhaustion have a multiple serial mediation effect in the relationship between social undermining and employee performance. These obtained results are discussed according to theoretical context.