How do abusive supervisors affect their employee’s psychological safety? An employee’s relationship with their leader is one of the most consequential influences on an individual in the workplace. Having an abusive supervisor, characterized by their hostile verbal and nonverbal actions can have a detrimental effect on their employees, including the perceived level of psychological safety. Through a time-lagged survey-based methodology, we examine the relationship between abusive supervision and employee’s psychological safety, and the intervening role played by varying levels of social support. We hypothesize that employees who experience more abusive supervision will enact defensive actions to protect themselves and their resources, including social withdrawals and engaging in unhealthy competition with colleagues, diminishing levels of social support. Through this diminished social support, people feel less supported and safe speaking up and sharing their thoughts, ideas, and values in the workplace (i.e., less psychologically safe). Our results provide support for the negative abusive supervision – psychological safety relationship and the mediating role of social support. A discussion of the practical and theoretical implications, as well we recommendations for future research will be provided.
