Employee Popularity Mediates the Relationship Between Political Skill and Workplace Interpersonal Mistreatment

Interpersonal mistreatment is a common and often devastating occurrence in the workplace. Although victim characteristics are an important determinant of who is targeted, research examining the link between target characteristics and interpersonal mistreatment is limited. Researchers have not considered employees’ interpersonal style as an antecedent of the mistreatment they experience from others. Further, very few studies have attempted to understand the mediating processes underlying the relationships between victim characteristics and workplace interpersonal mistreatment. The current study addresses these needs by examining employee popularity as a mediator of the relationship between political skill and two forms of interpersonal mistreatment: workplace interpersonal conflict and workplace ostracism. Results indicate that the political skill–interpersonal mistreatment relationships were mediated by employee popularity.