This study investigates the psychological impact of toxic work culture in the public sector, with a specific focus on government employees. Toxic work culture in public sector organizations is often characterized by poor communication, lack of support from supervisors, and a sense of helplessness among employees. These conditions contribute to increased stress, burnout, and decreased motivation, which negatively affect employee performance and mental well-being. Data were collected through a survey of government employees across various departments and analyzed to identify key factors contributing to experiences of toxic work culture. The findings indicate that factors such as lack of organizational support and ineffective leadership exacerbate psychological stress and job dissatisfaction. Additionally, toxic work culture is found to potentially increase absenteeism and turnover intention among employees. The study also suggests transformational leadership approaches as a means to mitigate the negative effects of toxic culture in public sector organizations, emphasizing the importance of psychological support and positive work relationships to improve employee well-being. The findings aim to assist policymakers and public sector management in creating a healthier work environment that supports employee performance.
Caillier, J. G. (2014). Toward a better understanding of public service motivation and mission valence in public agencies. Public Management Review, 16(6), 833-851.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
Eisenberger, R., Huntington, R., Hutchison, S., & Sowa, D. (1986). Perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71(3), 500-507.
Kim, S. (2018). Emotional dissonance and public service motivation: A study on the effects of emotional labor in the public sector. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 38(2), 204-226.
Lee, H. J., & Shin, S. (2023). The impact of toxic work culture on public sector employees' mental health. Journal of Public Administration and Policy, 45(3), 321-335.
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behaviour, 2(2), 99-113.
McHugh, M., & Brennan, S. (1994). Managing the stress of change in the public sector. Public Money & Management, 14(1), 29-34.
Pallant, J. (2020). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using IBM SPSS (7th ed.). Routledge.
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2016). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach (7th ed.). Wiley.
Taylor, J., & Westover, J. H. (2011). Job satisfaction in the public service: The effects of public service motivation, workplace engagement, and work-life balance. Public Management Review, 13(5), 731-751.
Mahdi, A. K., & Assim, M. I. S. A. (2024). The Psychological Impact of Toxic Work Culture in the Public Sector: A Study on Government Employees. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(12), 1799–1804.
Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
