Organizational injustice and workplace deviance: The mediating role of employee jealousy in manufacturing and service sectors

https://doi.org/10.35912/ahrmr.v5i3.2936
Published: Sep 17, 2025

Abstract:

Purpose: This study investigates the effect of organizational injustice including distributive, procedural, and interactional injustice on workplace deviance, with employee jealousy as a mediating variable. The research aims to compare these relationships across two industrial sectors: manufacturing and services in Indonesia.

Methodology: A quantitative survey design was employed involving 421 full-time employees from medium to large-sized companies located in East Java, Central Java, and Jakarta. A structured questionnaire using validated scales was distributed using stratified random sampling to ensure balanced sectoral representation. The analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS 4.0 software (SmartPLS GmbH, Germany), and data preparation was performed using IBM SPSS 26.0.

Results: The findings indicate that all three types of injustice significantly increase employee jealousy. Furthermore, jealousy is a strong predictor of workplace deviance. Mediation analysis shows that jealousy significantly mediates the relationships between each dimension of injustice and workplace deviance, with interactional injustice having the strongest overall effect.

Conclusions: This study concludes that employee jealousy is a key emotional pathway through which organizational injustice leads to deviant behavior. The results emphasize the importance of fair interpersonal treatment within organizations.

Limitations: The study is limited by its cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported data, which may introduce bias.

Contribution: To organizational behavior literature and offers practical insights for human resource management, particularly in emerging economies.

Keywords:
1. Employee Behavior
2. Human Resource Management
3. Jealousy
4. Organizational Injustice
5. Workplace Deviance
Authors:
1 . Enni Sustiyatik
Kadiri University, Kediri, Jawa Timur, Indonesia
2 . Tontowi Jauhari
Kadiri University, Kediri, Jawa Timur, Indonesia
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Sustiyatik, E., & Jauhari, T. (2025). Organizational injustice and workplace deviance: The mediating role of employee jealousy in manufacturing and service sectors. Annals of Human Resource Management Research, 5(3), 667–679. https://doi.org/10.35912/ahrmr.v5i3.2936
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Vol. 5 No. 3 (2025): September
Articles
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References

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    Andiappan, M., & Dufour, L. (2020). Jealousy at Work: A Tripartite Model. Academy of Management Review, 45(1), 205-229. doi:https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2016.0299

    Awee, A., Mohsin, F. H., & Makhbul, Z. K. M. (2020). The Factors Why People Exert Less: The Relationship Between Workplace Envy and Social Loafing Moderated by Self-Esteem. International Journal of Management Studies, 27(2), 27-46. doi:https://doi.org/10.32890/ijms.27.2.2020.7523

    Bennett, R. J., & Robinson, S. L. (2000). Development of a Measure of Workplace Deviance. Journal of applied psychology, 85(3), 349-360. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037//0021-9010.85.3.349

    Biron, C., Karanika-Murray, M., & Cooper, C. L. (2012). Improving Organizational Interventions For Stress and Well-Being: Addressing Process and Context. London: Routledge.

    Bordia, P., Restubog, S. L. D., & Tang, R. L. (2008). When Employees Strike Back: Investigating Mediating Mechanisms between Psychological Contract Breach and Workplace Deviance. Journal of applied psychology, 93(5), 1104-1117. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.5.1104

    Chaudhary, S. I., Bhatti, O. K., Ç?pran, H., & Bajwa, A. H. (2022). The Conceptual Review on the Impact of Organizational Justice on Workplace Deviance and the Mediating Role of Psychological Contract Breach. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 11(2), 235-252. doi:https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2022.60328

    Chen, L., Xu, Y., & He, Y. (2024). Social Media Use in the Workplace: The Role of Social Comparison in Negative Behaviors. Acta Psychologica, 243, 1-13. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104144

    Colquitt, J. A., Conlon, D. E., Wesson, M. J., Porter, C. O., & Ng, K. Y. (2001). Justice at the Millennium: A Meta-Analytic Review of 25 Years of Organizational Justice Research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 425-445. doi:https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.425

    Eren, G., & Demir, R. (2023). The Effect of Perceived Pay Equity on Counterproductive Work Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Organizational Cynicism. Ege Academic Review, 23(2), 219-236. doi:https://doi.org/10.21121/eab.1103337

    González-Navarro, P., Zurriaga-Llorens, R., Tosin Olateju, A., & Llinares-Insa, L. I. (2018). Envy and Counterproductive Work Behavior: The Moderation Role of Leadership in Public and Private Organizations. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(7), 1-17. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15071455

    Hämmig, O. (2025). Reward Frustration and Withdrawal from Work in Health Care—A Cross-Sectional Study among Health Professionals. Frontiers in Health Services, 5, 1-13. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/frhs.2025.1498073

    Hariani, N., & Muafi, M. (2020). Pengaruh Keadilan Organisasional terhadap Employee Engagement Dimoderasi Etika Kerja Islam. Telaah Bisnis, 21(1), 1-20. doi:https://doi.org/10.35917/tb.v21i1.210

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    Hershcovis, M. S., Cameron, A.-F., Gervais, L., & Bozeman, J. (2018). The Effects of Confrontation and Avoidance Coping in Response to Workplace Incivility. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 23(2), 163-174. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000078

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    Li, M., Xu, X., & Kwan, H. K. (2023). The Antecedents and Consequences of Workplace Envy: A Meta-Analytic Review. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 40(1), 1-35. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-021-09772-y

    Meng, R., Jiang, Z., Su, Y., Lu, G., & Chen, C. (2024). The Effect of Perceived Organizational Justice on Workplace Deviant Behavior of New Nurses: The Role of Emotional Labor and Psychological Capital. BMC Nursing, 23(1), 1-11. doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-01937-6

    Mubashar, T., Musharraf, S., Khan, S., & Butt, T. A. (2022). Impact of Organizational Justice on Employee Engagement: The Mediating Role of Organizational Trust. Cogent Psychology, 9(1), 1-16. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2022.2080325

    Nurdianto, W., & Pratama, A. A. N. (2021). Pengaruh Work Pressure, Job Insecurity dan Workplace Favouritism Terhadap Turnover Intention dengan Taqwa Sebagai Variabel Pemoderasi. Journal of Management and Digital Business, 1(2), 73-89. doi:https://doi.org/10.53088/jmdb.v1i2.80

    Park, H., Hoobler, J. M., Wu, J., Liden, R. C., Hu, J., & Wilson, M. S. (2019). Abusive Supervision and Employee Deviance: A Multifoci Justice Perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 158(4), 1113-1131. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3749-2

    Qin, G., & Zhang, L. (2022). Perceived Overall Injustice and Organizational Deviance—Mediating Effect of Anger and Moderating Effect of Moral Disengagement. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1-13. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1023724

    Shoaib, S., & Baruch, Y. (2019). Deviant Behavior in a Moderated-Mediation Framework of Incentives, Organizational Justice Perception, and Reward Expectancy. Journal of Business Ethics, 157(3), 617-633. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3651-y

    Sustiyatik, E., Setiono, B. A., & Ridwan, A. (2019). Practices of Injustice and Workplace Deviance: The Case of ASEAN Manufacturing Firm. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 20(1), 447-455. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.17512/pjms.2019.20.1.38

    Vecchio, R. P. (2000). Negative Emotion in the Workplace: Employee Jealousy and Envy. International Journal of Stress Management, 7(3), 161-179. doi:https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009592430712

    Weiss, H. M., & Cropanzano, R. (1964). Affective Events Theory: A Theoretical Discussion of The Structure, Cause and Consequences of Affective Experiences at Work. Research in Organization Behavior: Journal An Annual Series of Analytical Essays and Critical Reviews, 18(1), 34-74.

    Wood, D., Lowman, G. H., Harms, P., & Roberts, B. W. (2019). Exploring the Relative Importance of Normative and Distinctive Organizational Preferences as Predictors of Work Attitudes. Journal of applied psychology, 104(2), 270-292. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000356

    Yarivand, M., Al-Shahrani, H. F., Hammad, M. A., & Malakouti, M. (2025). The Moderating Role of Perceived Injustice in the Relationship between Being Envied and Social Undermining in Public Sector Organizations. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1-12. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1582051

    Zappala, S., Sbaa, M. Y., Kamneva, E. V., Zhigun, L. A., Korobanova, Z. V., & Chub, A. A. (2022). Current Approaches, Typologies and Predictors of Deviant Work Behaviors: A Scoping Review of Reviews. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1-22. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.674066

    Zhang, Y., & Bednall, T. C. (2016). Antecedents of Abusive Supervision: a Meta-analytic Review. Journal of Business Ethics, 139(3), 455-471. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2657-6

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  2. Andiappan, M., & Dufour, L. (2020). Jealousy at Work: A Tripartite Model. Academy of Management Review, 45(1), 205-229. doi:https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2016.0299
  3. Awee, A., Mohsin, F. H., & Makhbul, Z. K. M. (2020). The Factors Why People Exert Less: The Relationship Between Workplace Envy and Social Loafing Moderated by Self-Esteem. International Journal of Management Studies, 27(2), 27-46. doi:https://doi.org/10.32890/ijms.27.2.2020.7523
  4. Bennett, R. J., & Robinson, S. L. (2000). Development of a Measure of Workplace Deviance. Journal of applied psychology, 85(3), 349-360. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037//0021-9010.85.3.349
  5. Biron, C., Karanika-Murray, M., & Cooper, C. L. (2012). Improving Organizational Interventions For Stress and Well-Being: Addressing Process and Context. London: Routledge.
  6. Bordia, P., Restubog, S. L. D., & Tang, R. L. (2008). When Employees Strike Back: Investigating Mediating Mechanisms between Psychological Contract Breach and Workplace Deviance. Journal of applied psychology, 93(5), 1104-1117. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.5.1104
  7. Chaudhary, S. I., Bhatti, O. K., Ç?pran, H., & Bajwa, A. H. (2022). The Conceptual Review on the Impact of Organizational Justice on Workplace Deviance and the Mediating Role of Psychological Contract Breach. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 11(2), 235-252. doi:https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2022.60328
  8. Chen, L., Xu, Y., & He, Y. (2024). Social Media Use in the Workplace: The Role of Social Comparison in Negative Behaviors. Acta Psychologica, 243, 1-13. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104144
  9. Colquitt, J. A., Conlon, D. E., Wesson, M. J., Porter, C. O., & Ng, K. Y. (2001). Justice at the Millennium: A Meta-Analytic Review of 25 Years of Organizational Justice Research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 425-445. doi:https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.425
  10. Eren, G., & Demir, R. (2023). The Effect of Perceived Pay Equity on Counterproductive Work Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Organizational Cynicism. Ege Academic Review, 23(2), 219-236. doi:https://doi.org/10.21121/eab.1103337
  11. González-Navarro, P., Zurriaga-Llorens, R., Tosin Olateju, A., & Llinares-Insa, L. I. (2018). Envy and Counterproductive Work Behavior: The Moderation Role of Leadership in Public and Private Organizations. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(7), 1-17. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15071455
  12. Hämmig, O. (2025). Reward Frustration and Withdrawal from Work in Health Care—A Cross-Sectional Study among Health Professionals. Frontiers in Health Services, 5, 1-13. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/frhs.2025.1498073
  13. Hariani, N., & Muafi, M. (2020). Pengaruh Keadilan Organisasional terhadap Employee Engagement Dimoderasi Etika Kerja Islam. Telaah Bisnis, 21(1), 1-20. doi:https://doi.org/10.35917/tb.v21i1.210
  14. Hassan, A., & Siddiqui, D. A. (2021). Envy, Counterproductive Work Behavior, and Wellbeing: The Role of Employee Exhaustion Complemented by LMX. SSRN Electronic Journal, 1-29. doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3942287
  15. Hershcovis, M. S., Cameron, A.-F., Gervais, L., & Bozeman, J. (2018). The Effects of Confrontation and Avoidance Coping in Response to Workplace Incivility. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 23(2), 163-174. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000078
  16. Hussain, U., & Mohr, I. (2023). Dispositional Malicious Envy and Workplace Deviance: Divergent Thinking as a Mediator. Sage Open, 13(4). doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231200310
  17. Jaeger, J. (2024). ECI’s 2023 Global Business Ethics Survey Reveals Harsh Realities About E&C Programs. Retrieved from https://www.navex.com/en-us/blog/article/ecis-2023-global-business-ethics-survey-reveals-harsh-realities-about-ec-programs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
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  19. Meng, R., Jiang, Z., Su, Y., Lu, G., & Chen, C. (2024). The Effect of Perceived Organizational Justice on Workplace Deviant Behavior of New Nurses: The Role of Emotional Labor and Psychological Capital. BMC Nursing, 23(1), 1-11. doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-01937-6
  20. Mubashar, T., Musharraf, S., Khan, S., & Butt, T. A. (2022). Impact of Organizational Justice on Employee Engagement: The Mediating Role of Organizational Trust. Cogent Psychology, 9(1), 1-16. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2022.2080325
  21. Nurdianto, W., & Pratama, A. A. N. (2021). Pengaruh Work Pressure, Job Insecurity dan Workplace Favouritism Terhadap Turnover Intention dengan Taqwa Sebagai Variabel Pemoderasi. Journal of Management and Digital Business, 1(2), 73-89. doi:https://doi.org/10.53088/jmdb.v1i2.80
  22. Park, H., Hoobler, J. M., Wu, J., Liden, R. C., Hu, J., & Wilson, M. S. (2019). Abusive Supervision and Employee Deviance: A Multifoci Justice Perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 158(4), 1113-1131. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3749-2
  23. Qin, G., & Zhang, L. (2022). Perceived Overall Injustice and Organizational Deviance—Mediating Effect of Anger and Moderating Effect of Moral Disengagement. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1-13. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1023724
  24. Shoaib, S., & Baruch, Y. (2019). Deviant Behavior in a Moderated-Mediation Framework of Incentives, Organizational Justice Perception, and Reward Expectancy. Journal of Business Ethics, 157(3), 617-633. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3651-y
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  26. Vecchio, R. P. (2000). Negative Emotion in the Workplace: Employee Jealousy and Envy. International Journal of Stress Management, 7(3), 161-179. doi:https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009592430712
  27. Weiss, H. M., & Cropanzano, R. (1964). Affective Events Theory: A Theoretical Discussion of The Structure, Cause and Consequences of Affective Experiences at Work. Research in Organization Behavior: Journal An Annual Series of Analytical Essays and Critical Reviews, 18(1), 34-74.
  28. Wood, D., Lowman, G. H., Harms, P., & Roberts, B. W. (2019). Exploring the Relative Importance of Normative and Distinctive Organizational Preferences as Predictors of Work Attitudes. Journal of applied psychology, 104(2), 270-292. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000356
  29. Yarivand, M., Al-Shahrani, H. F., Hammad, M. A., & Malakouti, M. (2025). The Moderating Role of Perceived Injustice in the Relationship between Being Envied and Social Undermining in Public Sector Organizations. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1-12. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1582051
  30. Zappala, S., Sbaa, M. Y., Kamneva, E. V., Zhigun, L. A., Korobanova, Z. V., & Chub, A. A. (2022). Current Approaches, Typologies and Predictors of Deviant Work Behaviors: A Scoping Review of Reviews. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1-22. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.674066
  31. Zhang, Y., & Bednall, T. C. (2016). Antecedents of Abusive Supervision: a Meta-analytic Review. Journal of Business Ethics, 139(3), 455-471. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2657-6