Is cyber anxiety signaling useful? An examination of leader’s emotional and behavioral reactions

Considerable research has investigated the effects of workplace anxiety. However, the question of how leaders respond to followers who signal their workplace anxiety via information and communication technologies (ICTs) is still unclear. Drawing upon the transactional model of stress, we tested leaders’ emotional and behavioral reactions to cyber anxiety signaling using an experimental study and a multi-wave field study. Results showed that leaders experienced both empathy and anger when receiving cyber anxiety signaling from followers. Empathic emotion then motivated leaders to engage in more cyber supportive behavior, whereas anger increased cyber incivility. The moderating effects of psychological power were also supported. Leaders with high levels of psychological power would experience increased empathic emotion and reduced anger toward followers who signal their workplace anxiety. These findings demonstrate the costs and benefits of cyber anxiety signaling and explain the utility of this strategy that employees may use to gain support from leaders.