Abusive Supervision and Burnout: Investigating the Impact of Susceptibility and Exposure to a Stressor

Drawing on conservation of resources theory, the purpose of this study was to further our understanding of the relationship between abusive supervision and burnout by examining two variables that likely exacerbate this relationship. Susceptibility to stress (i.e. subordinate's neuroticism) and exposure to a stressor (i.e. time spent with the abusive supervisor) were hypothesized to magnify the positive relationship between abusive supervision and burnout. Data collected from two samples confirmed the positive relationship between abusive supervision and burnout. However, this relationship appears to be unaffected by the employee's neuroticism nor time spent with their supervisor. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.