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Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management

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Relationship Between Workplace Incivility and Work Withdrawal : The Mediating Role of Emotional Exhaustion and Work Alienation

Subscription Original Article

Relationship Between Workplace Incivility and Work Withdrawal : The Mediating Role of Emotional Exhaustion and Work Alienation

Shweta Ranjan1,  Kritika Kumari2,  Pawas Kumar3,  Shantanu Saurabh4

1 Research Scholar, Department of Commerce and Business Studies, Central University of South Bihar, Panchanpur, Gaya - 824 236, Bihar

2 Research Scholar , Department of Commerce and Business Studies, Central University of South Bihar, Panchanpur, Gaya - 824 236, Bihar

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce and Business Studies, Central University of South Bihar, Panchanpur, Gaya - 824 236, Bihar

4 Assistant Professor, DAV P. G. College, Department of Commerce, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Volume 19
Issue 4
Pages 31–49
Year 2026
Received: Sept. 5, 2025 Accepted: March 15, 2026 Published: April 15, 2026
Abstract

Purpose : Human resource management is a difficult yet imperative process for fulfilling organisational goals. In particular, the employees with withdrawal behavior are a challenge on a global level. Hence, this paper focused on determining the predictors of work withdrawal. The paper examined the connection between employees’ exposure to uncivil behavior and work withdrawal. Moreover, emotional exhaustion and work alienation were evaluated as mediating variables.

Design/Methodology/Approach : Drawing on conservation resource theory and affective event theory, hypotheses were framed and tested using CFA and SEM in AMOS. 26. The study utilized a cross-sectional survey of 346 IT employees.

Findings : The results identified work withdrawal as the outcome variable of workplace incivility. Meanwhile, the feeling of alienation and emotional exhaustion among employees partially mediated the relationship between them.

Practical Implications : The study provided deeper insights into the effects of workplace incivility on psychological withdrawal. This knowledge can be used by managers and organizational leaders to frame policies and practices that contribute to sustaining and surviving the organization.

Originality/Value : The originality of this paper lies in integrating the variables of emotional exhaustion and work alienation simultaneously, thereby offering a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms through which incivility affected employee behavior in the Indian IT sector.

Keywords workplace incivility work withdrawal emotional exhaustion and work alienation
How to Cite

Shweta Ranjan, Kritika Kumari, Pawas Kumar, Shantanu Saurabh (2026). Relationship Between Workplace Incivility and Work Withdrawal : The Mediating Role of Emotional Exhaustion and Work Alienation. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 19(4), 31–49. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2026/v19i4/175066

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