Too drained to obey! A daily study on how workplace envy fosters employee deviance and the buffering role of ethical leadership

In this study, we adopt the experience sampling method to investigate the within-person consequences of workplace envy. Specifically, we investigate the influences of daily workplace envy on employees' daily self-regulatory resource depletion and subsequent organizational deviance. Drawing on self-regulatory resource theory, we argue that daily workplace envy diminishes employees' daily self-regulatory resources, driving them to behave in ways that deviate from organizational norms on the same day. In addition, we propose that ethical leadership prevents daily depleted employees from engaging in daily organizational deviance. The results of a two-week daily study support the hypotheses. Insights into literature, practice, and future research are discussed.