The Influence of Workplace Bullying on Employee Silencing: The Mediating Effect of Emotional Exhaustion and The Moderating Effect of Forgiveness Climate

The impact of workplace bullying on employee silence has been studied, but few studies have been conducted in the Chinese context. In particular, few studies have explored the role and impact of workplace bullying in Chinese SMEs. Workplace bullying is closely related to unhealthy systems and poor management practices. In addition, workplace bullying is often cited as one of the “causes” of employee silence. To validate this study, we collected data from 457 employees of Chinese SMEs and found that workplace bullying positively affects employee silence through emotional exhaustion, while a tolerant atmosphere has a significant positive moderating effect on the relationship between workplace bullying and emotional exhaustion. In this study, we explored whether workplace bullying increases employee silence in organizations and examined the mediating role of emotional exhaustion in increasing employee silence. We also examined the moderating effects of a forgiving climate on workplace bullying and emotional exhaustion as well as the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion on the relationship between workplace bullying and employee silence would be moderated by a forgiving climate. The results provide management recommendations for the different effects of workplace bullying on causing employee silence. Workplace bullying has the greatest impact on employee silence in the workplace. Workplace bullying in the workplace leads to emotional exhaustion of employees has a negative impact on the construction of employee silence relationship. It suggests that companies should improve more on management system and corporate culture, and good institutional norms and employee-oriented corporate culture, which is not only applicable to employees working in Chinese SMEs to help reduce workplace bullying. Furthermore, the forgiveness climate has a significant impact on the workplace bullying and emotional exhaustion relationship as well as mitigating employee silence. In order to further construct the relationship between employees and the organization, the following suggestions are made: when the participation of the forgiving atmosphere indirectly activates employees' empathy and the right to make perspective choices, they have the ability to anticipate bullying behavior that may come from within the company, and ultimately effectively inhibit the generation of employees' negative emotions brought about by workplace bullying as well as the ability to react benignly in the face of real bullying, which is conducive to the reinforcement of employees' inner initiative to give up behaviors such as employee silence. Finally, this study not only expands the scope of research on employee silence, but also provides a theoretical basis for research on the suppression of employee silence, which is of practical significance for the anti-bullying of SMEs.