Societies with a Dark Side: Population-Level Traits Predict Workplace Harassment

Activity: Talk or presentationOral presentation

Description

Workplace harassment remains a critical organizational challenge, yet the influence of geographical personality contexts is under-researched. This paper investigates how population-level Dark Triad traits impact harassment and whether remote work serves as a protective factor. Findings reveal that psychopathy is the strongest predictor of physical and sexual harassment, while Machiavellianism correlates with subtle psychological manipulation. Using a quasi-natural experiment and cross-sectional data, the studies show that remote work significantly moderates these risks, reducing harassment by limiting physical proximity in high-DT regions. However, narcissism remains linked to verbal abuse in both physical and digital spaces. These results underscore the need for organizations to tailor anti-harassment policies to regional contexts, utilizing work modality and transparency as strategic tools to mitigate "dark" societal influences.
PeriodJul 2025
Event title85th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management
Event typeConference
LocationCopenhagen, DenmarkShow on map