# Interpersonal Dynamics at Work: How Positive and Negative Experiences Simultaneously Influence Work Attitudes

## TL;DR

This study shows how both positive and negative workplace interactions strongly affect employees' attitudes and job satisfaction.

## Contribution

The study uniquely examines the simultaneous impact of positive and negative interpersonal experiences on job attitudes.

## Key findings

- Both incivility and prosocial experiences significantly influence job attitudes like cynicism and satisfaction.
- Interpersonal experiences account for about half of the variance in job attitudes, even when controlling for other stressors.
- Supervisors' behaviors and racial minority status amplify the impact of these experiences on job attitudes.

## Abstract

Workplace mistreatment and positive interpersonal experiences are not often considered simultaneously in empirical research. However, people are realistically experiencing positive and negative interpersonal experiences at work regularly. The goal of this study is to fill this gap by examining the relative importance of both incivility and prosocial experiences on people’s job attitudes. Data from a large university in the northeastern United States revealed significant relationships between incivility and prosocial experiences and cynicism towards organizational change, job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and affective commitment. Further, relative weights analysis, controlling for established job stressors, identified interpersonal experiences as accounting for about half of the variance in job attitudes. This demonstrates the strong role that these experiences have in shaping attitudes. Further, experiences coming from supervisors were highlighted as particularly important. Follow-up analyses provide preliminary evidence that these interpersonal experiences have a stronger influence on job attitudes for racial minority workers than for white workers. Implications and future directions are discussed.