The effect of workplace incivility and organizational victimization on work engagement: The mediating role of employee advocacy

The purpose of this study is to analyze the mediating role of employee advocacy in the effect of workplace incivility and organizational victimization on work engagement. The sample of the study consists of employees in the manufacturing sector of Kayseri Organized Industrial Zone (n=403). The data were collected with the help of a questionnaire consisting of scales whose reliability and validity have been tested in the literature. First, a measurement model was developed by utilizing confirmatory factor analysis to test the reliability and validity of the aforementioned scales. Then, based on this measurement model structural equation modeling was applied to test the hypothesized relationships. According to the research findings, workplace incivility has a negative and significant effect on work engagement. Similarly, organizational victimization has a negative and significant effect on work engagement. On the other hand, employee advocacy has a positive and significant effect on work engagement. In addition, workplace incivility has a negative and significant effect on employee advocacy, whereas organizational victimization has a negative but insignificant effect on employee advocacy. Moreover, it was revealed that employee advocacy played a full mediating role in the relationship between workplace incivility and work engagement. However, it was found that employee advocacy did not mediate the relationship between organizational victimization and work engagement. Finally, the study draws implications for theoretical and managerial applications, discusses the limitations of the research findings, and suggests directions for future research on this topic.