The Devil Wears Prada: A Qualitative Study on Counterproductive Workplace Behavior and Employee Satisfaction in the Fashion Industry

Abstract

The counterproductive workplace behavior (CWB) of supervisors and the subsequent employee satisfaction (ES) of the subordinates in the fashion industry have been examined qualitatively for the first time in this study. The study result shows various types of CWB that the employees experience in today’s fashion industry, such as passive-aggressiveness, feedback avoidance, micro-aggression, claiming credits of others, condescending behavior, absenteeism, etc. On the other hand, the three major themes of ES show what the participants experience when they face their supervisors’ CWB. The pay was the least essential theme in terms of ES, whereas dissatisfaction with supervisor and workplace culture were the most dominant themes. Fashion brands should pay attention to this crucial information and communicate with their top management and employees to have a productive work environment. Future research could focus on fashion company size, location, ownership type, and organizational climate to further explore CWB and ES.