The trickle-down effect of supervisor incivility on employee life satisfaction

Researchers have seldom discussed the effect of supervision on non-work-related outcomes. Using displaced aggression theory, we developed a trickle-down model of supervisor incivility at the hierarchical levels of manager, supervisor, and employee. We analyzed multilevel, multisource data from 424 employees and supervisors in 78 work groups, revealing a negative relationship between manager incivility and employee life satisfaction, with supervisor incivility mediating this relationship. Further, attributions of a supervisor’s behavior to the motive of promoting employee performance alleviated the negative effect of supervisor incivility on employee life satisfaction, while this negative effect was enhanced among workers who attributed their supervisor’s behavior to the motive of inflicting harm on employees. Our findings provide practical insights into mitigating the trickle-down effect of supervisor incivility and boosting employee life satisfaction.