Toxic Work Environments and Creative Decline: The Role of Workplace and Supervisor Bullying

This study examines how workplace bullying, including supervisor bullying, affects employee creativity by integrating theoretical insights with empirical evidence. It investigates the direct and indirect effects of these two forms of bullying on individual creativity, with job satisfaction as a key mediating mechanism. Survey data were collected from 152 employees across 12 industries, and the hypothesized relationships were tested using regression-based mediation analyses. Results indicate that both workplace and supervisor bullying are significantly and negatively associated with employee creativity, primarily through reduced job satisfaction. Employees experiencing bullying reported lower creative engagement and motivation, constraining their creative expression. Mediation analyses confirmed that job satisfaction plays a central role in explaining how bullying-related stressors undermine creativity. These findings highlight the importance of addressing interpersonal stressors in organizational settings to sustain creative performance. Practically, the study suggests that organizations aiming to enhance creativity should prevent workplace and supervisor bullying and foster supportive leadership practices that promote employee satisfaction. By distinguishing between workplace and supervisor bullying, this study contributes to the literature by providing a more nuanced understanding of how specific psychosocial stressors impair employee creativity.