Mediating effect of cynicism on the relationship between workplace loneliness and behavioral outcomes

Although loneliness has been researched for several decades, little is known about the proximal and distal outcomes of loneliness at work. Therefore, this study examined the mediating effect of employee cynicism on the relationships of workplace loneliness with in-role behavior, voice behavior, and deviant behavior. We used a three-wave time-lagged method of data collection with a sample of 225 police officers in South Korea. The results showed that cynicism significantly mediated each of the hypothesized relationships. Thus, loneliness enhanced employee cynicism, as lonely police officers were more likely to doubt the significance of their job and to become less involved with their work. Subsequently, cynical police officers were less likely to engage in in-role behavior and voice behavior, and more likely to engage in deviant behavior. Implications of the findings are discussed.