When Bullying Speaks Louder Than Words: Psychological Distress as a Pathway to Employee Silence in Sri Lankan Telecommunication Sector

Workplace bullying is an emerging phenomenon within organizations that has adverse effects on the well-being and productivity of employees. This research explores the effect of workplace bullying on employee silence, considering the mediation effect of psychological distress in the telecommunication organizations through the lens of COR Theory and CAPS Theory. Drawing data from telecommunication employees from a developing country context, this study addresses the gap in the existing literature and strengthens the theoretical perspectives by integrating psychological distress as a key mechanism linking workplace bullying and employee silence, an area that has received constricted empirical attention. Data were gathered from 411 employees through self-reported questionnaires using convenient sampling and the analysis was done through SPSS and PROCESS Macro model 4. The findings revealed that the workplace bullying is associated with employee silence by both directly and indirectly exploding psychological distress. It indicates that employees who experience bullying are more likely to hold on their opinions due to strain. This study fills the contextual gap in the existing literature concerning developing countries’ perspectives. This study refines the theoretical understandings by clarifying the mediating mechanism of psychological distress and advances the applicability of stress-based theories in Asian countries. Practically, the study pinpoints the need for anti-bullying policies to promote open organizational communication. These new insights, provide the cornerstone for further research on mistreatment of employees and employee behaviors in emerging countries.