The influence of fair supervision on employees’ emotional exhaustion and turnover intentions

Purpose - Despite the importance of interactional fairness, it has been assessed less frequently in literature than has procedural and distributive justice. The effects of interactional fairness are at times stronger than the effects for procedural and distributive fairness, given that supervisors are prominent in any workplace environment and the chief source for interpreting information related to matters such as suitable business practices and goals needed by organizations. This study aims to examine the mediating mechanisms through which interactional justice influences emotional exhaustion and turnover intentions. Specifically, the hypothesis proposes that perceived organizational support and a sense of belongingness simultaneously mediates the relationship between interactional justice and emotional exhaustion, which in turn affects withdrawal cognitions. Design/methodology/approach - The author draws on the literature and studies on the link between organizational justice, stress and turnover to develop the hypotheses, collecting data from 141 employees of different organizations and occupations. Findings - Results of partial least squares structural equation modeling and Preacher and Hayes’ (2004) bootstrapping approach reveal that interactional justice is significantly positively associated with perceptions of organizational support and belongingness, which in turn is negatively associated with emotional exhaustion. Research limitations/implications - Interactionally fair treatment engenders perceptions of organizational support and heightens a sense of belongingness, subsequently reducing the burden of physical and emotional fatigue on individuals and thereby freeing employees from engaging in turnover cognitions. Practical implications - The study underscores the importance of fair supervisors. Results suggest that fair supervisors help employees estimate the extent to which their organization is supportive. In addition, fair supervisors reassure subordinates that they are valued, which in turn lessens the experience of emotional exhaustion, giving organizations a competitive advantage due to the more favorable behavioral intentions held by employees. Originality/value - Interactional justice has been assessed less frequently in literature than has procedural and distributive justice. Research has overlooked the underlying process of how interactional justice reactions might motivate emotional exhaustion and turnover intentions responses. Thus, this study identifies an expanded group of mediators that link interactional justice to emotional exhaustion and turnover intentions.