Bad supervisors destroy good practices: abusive supervision undermines the effect of socially responsible human resource management on employees’ volunteering

Abstract

Socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) is expected to benefit society, and this logic relies on the assumption that supervisors will execute this system well. However, supervisors who engage in abusive supervision undermine the effectiveness of HRM practices. Drawing on the affect theory of social exchange, we examine how abusive supervision moderates the relationship between SRHRM and employees’ positive/negative affect and the indirect effect of SRHRM on employees’ volunteering via employees’ affect. Through a field study (n = 256) and an experimental study (n = 383), we find that abusive supervision undermines the effectiveness of SRHRM in increasing positive affect and decreasing negative affect. Furthermore, SRHRM has an indirect effect on employees’ volunteering through increasing positive affect, while this pathway is weakened when abusive supervision is high. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are further discussed.