Workplace Bullying and Workplace Deviance among Managerial Employees in ABC (Pvt) Ltd: The Mediating Role of Emotional Exhaustion

Workplace bullying is a critical organisational issue that adversely affects employee well-being and organisational effectiveness. Despite growing scholarly interest, limited research has examined its impact on workplace deviance among managerial employees in Sri Lanka’s logistics sector. This study investigates the effect of workplace bullying on workplace deviance and examines the mediating role of emotional exhaustion among managerial employees at ABC (Pvt) Ltd. Guided by Conservation of Resources Theory, Affective Events Theory, and Social Exchange Theory, the study adopted a positivist philosophy, deductive approach, and quantitative research design. Data were collected from 151 managerial employees using a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation, regression, and mediation analysis in SPSS. The findings revealed that workplace bullying significantly and positively influences both workplace deviance and emotional exhaustion. Emotional exhaustion was also found to significantly predict workplace deviance and partially mediate the relationship between workplace bullying and workplace deviance. These findings indicate that workplace bullying contributes to deviant workplace behaviours both directly and indirectly through emotional strain. The study extends existing organisational behaviour literature by validating established theories within a non-Western logistics context. Practically, the findings highlight the importance of anti-bullying policies, supportive leadership, and employee well-being initiatives to minimise workplace deviance and enhance organisational sustainability.