Perceived Abusive Supervision and Its Influence on Counterproductive Work Behavior among Healthcare Workers

Abstract

Background: Abusive supervision is the subordinates’ perceptions of the extent to which their supervisors engage in the sustained display of hostile verbal and nonverbal behaviors. Also, abusive supervision hurts the organization causing lower levels of satisfaction, commitment, and counterproductive work behavior. Aim: Assessing Healthcare workers' perception level regarding abusive supervision, assessing the level of Healthcare workers' counterproductive work behavior, and finding out the influence of perceived abusive supervision on counterproductive work behavior among Healthcare workers. Research design: A descriptive correlational study design was used. Setting: The study was conducted at the Saudi German Hospital in Makkah, KSA. Subjects: (171) HCWs out of (300 participated in the study. Tools of data collection: Abusive supervision scale and counterproductive work behavior scale. Results: The majority (94%) of the studied participants perceived a high level of abusive supervision, and only 2% of them perceived a low level of abusive supervision from their supervisors. Also, less than two-thirds of them (65%) had moderate counterproductive work behavior, while only (15%) of the study participants had high levels. Conclusion: There was a strong positive relation between Healthcare workers' perceived abusive supervision and their counterproductive work behavior. Recommendations: healthcare managers must take corrective disciplinary approaches, actions, and strategies against supervisory abusive behavior and counterproductive behavior. Healthcare managers have to provide the employees with a favorable healthy professional work environment, which helps to overcome any counterproductive work behaviors.