From Courtesy to Cynicism: The Hidden Cost of Incivility in Supermarket Frontlines

N. A. S. Madhumekala; K. A. K. S. Rathnakara

doi:10.18290/rkult25162.5

Published : 2025-06-30

Vol. 16 No. 2 (2025)

From Courtesy to Cynicism: The Hidden Cost of Incivility in Supermarket Frontlines

N. A. S. Madhumekala

K. A. K. S. Rathnakara

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2307-5155

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rkult25162.5

Abstract

Workplace incivility has been identified as a major and critical issue that arises in the workplace, and it is thought to have significant effects on both people and organizational outcomes as turnover intention. Consequently, the purpose of this research paper is to look into the impact of workplace incivility on turnover intention as well as the mediating effect of organizational cynicism on that relationship. This study used a cross-sectional design and a deductive research approach. The study’s population consists of frontline staff from prominent supermarkets in the Kurunegala district. The sampling strategy utilized was stratified sampling, with a sample size of 184. Under the quantitative data collection methods, data were gathered via personally administered questionnaires. The data was analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). The findings indicate that workplace incivility has a significant positive impact on turnover intention, while supervisor incivility, co-worker incivility, and customer incivility – which are considered three dimensions of workplace incivility – have also been shown to positively influence turnover intention. According to the data analysis, workplace incivility has a 70.6% impact on the intention of frontline staff to leave large supermarkets. The findings also revealed that organizational cynicism mediates the association between workplace incivility and turnover intention, albeit only partially.

Keywords:

workplace incivility, turnover intention, supervisor incivility, customer incivility, co-worker incivility, organizational cynicism

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