Leader aggressive humor and hospitality employees’ time theft: The roles of ego depletion and self-compassion

Leader humor acts as an interpersonal tool in invigorating employees in hospitality sector, yet improperly expressed humor can have counterproductive effects. In this study, we use ego depletion theory to investigate how and when leader aggressive humor predicts a particular form of counterproductive work behavior—time theft. Our multi-wave data, collected from 269 frontline service employees across six Chinese hotels, reveals a positive association between leaders’ use of aggressive humor and employee time theft, which is mediated by ego depletion. Moreover, the aforementioned relationship is moderated by self-compassion, such that the adverse impact of leader aggressive humor is mitigated when employees demonstrate higher levels of self-compassion. Theoretical and practical implications regarding humor, ego depletion, and time theft are discussed.