Why do leaders reject employee voice: a job demands-resources and conservation of resources approach

Purpose Based on the job demands-resources model (JD-R model) and conservation of resources (COR) approach, this study aims to examine how role overload and leader–leader exchange (LLX) affect leaders’ voice rejection, and explore when the positive relationship between role overload and voice rejection is weakened. Design/methodology/approach This study used three-wave data from 205 leader–employee pairs and tested the hypothesized moderated mediation model using hierarchical regression and bootstrapping. Findings Results revealed that two parallel paths influence leaders’ voice rejection. The first path was “LLX → change self-efficacy → voice rejection”, and the second path was “role overload → emotional exhaustion → voice rejection”. LLX weakened the direct relationship between role overload and emotional exhaustion, and weakened the indirect relationship between role overload and voice rejection via emotional exhaustion. Practical implications Organizations need to provide team leaders with additional resources and reduce their workloads to enhance their effectiveness in fulfilling the role of voice managers. Originality/value This study provides a comprehensive explanation, according to the JD-R model and COR theory, of how and when job demand and job resource influence leaders’ voice rejection, thereby enhancing our understanding of the formation. It provides new insights into leader voice rejection.