Boundary conditions of the emotional exhaustion-unsafe behavior link: the dark side of group norms and personal control

Abstract

This study focuses on the conditions under which emotional exhaustion leads to employee unsafe behavior. In a sample of 592 construction workers nested in 33 groups, we found that both emotional exhaustion and unsafe behavior norms were positively related to unsafe behavior by employees. Unsafe behavior norms moderated the relationship between emotional exhaustion and unsafe behavior, such that high group unsafe behavior norms strengthened the emotional exhaustion-employee unsafe behavior link. Furthermore, results indicated a three-way interaction effect in which employees with high emotional exhaustion conducted the highest levels of unsafe behavior when both group unsafe behavior norms and personal control over work were high. This paper provides important implications on understanding the influence of group norms on employee unsafe behavior, as well as its magnifying effect with personal control on the emotional exhaustion-unsafe behavior link.