The Silent Exit: Dehumanization, Self-Esteem, and the Rise of Withdrawal at Work

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of organizational dehumanization on employee withdrawal behavior. The current study also investigates the mediating role of organizational-based self-esteem (OBSE) in the relationship between organizational dehumanization and employee withdrawal behavior. Time-lagged multi-source data is collected through adopted questionnaires from telecommunication and information technology industry employees. Initially, 850 questionnaires were distributed, after analyzing the study, 453 responses were retained for the final analysis. Cronbach's Alpha was employed to test the reliability of the scales adopted. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted to test the convergent and discriminant validities of the scales adopted. The study's hypotheses were tested using Path Analysis, i.e., a statistical technique to test the variables' relationships. Other required tests for data screening and scales validity, such as frequency distribution, descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, reliability analysis, and correlation analysis, were also employed.
The results concluded that Organizational dehumanization was significantly and negatively associated with OBSE, indicating that employees experiencing the same kind of dehumanization experiences at work reacted by reporting lower OBSE. Additionally, Organizational dehumanization was found to be positively associated with withdrawal at work. The mediation analysis showed OBSE to mediate the relationship between OD and EWB. This indicates to us that dehumanization is an antecedent of low OBSE, which subsequently predicts withdrawal behavior.