Examining the antecedents of prosocial silence: a relational perspective

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the relational self-identity and prosocial silence in the context of the Egyptian public sector. It also examines the mediating effect of relational maintenance strategies among co-workers (RMSC) on the aforementioned relationship.

The study uses a questionnaire that consists of measures adopted from existing and tested scales. A parallel mediation analysis is conducted using Sobel test for specific indirect effects in regression analysis.

The findings reveal that high relational employees do not engage in prosocial silence unless they are involved in networking and shared tasks strategies.

Prosocial silence has received limited attention despite its drastic effects in employee well-being. This study provides initial insights concerning the dynamics of social behaviours which motivate employees to avoid speaking up in order to not embarrass a workplace friend.