1. IntroductionWorkplace incivility, a low-intensity deviant workplace behavior with an ambiguous intent to harm (Andersson and Pearson, 1999) [1], is noticed everywhere and has become a problem that matters [2]. Harmony and calmness do not always characterize human behavior. Consequently, the occurrence of incivility inside organizations as well as against external stakeholders (customers) is very common [2]. Employees consider behaviors much more meaningful than processes [3]. Employees expect respectful work behavior to achieve organizational outcomes [4]. Moreover, respect is necessary to avoid deviant work behaviors, sustain operations [5], and retain valuable employees [6]. Negative factors such as workplace incivility compel employees to hide knowledge from others [7], resulting in harm to an organization’s performance. Incivility adopted by managers harms subordinates’ morale and makes them lose concentration on work [8]. The incivility may decrease the employees’ job satisfaction and push them to leave their jobs [9]. In these situations, trust is the only factor that can keep the employees on track. Trust in the supervisor for his proficiency, experience, and goal orientation may help employees to ignore incivility and do their job.Organizational behavior literature has started focusing on the negative factors prevailing in the workplace during the past two decades. Several studies have examined the consequences of deviant workplace behaviors at the organizational, group, and individual levels. Schilpzand, Pater, and Erez ([10], p. S57), in their review article about incivility, observed that “the literature mainly focused on topics such as workplace aggression, deviance, bullying, and abusive supervision and predominately investigated the detrimental effects of negative workplace behaviors on targets’ work attitudes, work behaviors, and well-being”, and that workplace incivility—a less intense deviant behavior—is a relatively new addition to the negative behaviors seen at work. Organizational behavior experts have recommended an in-depth examination of workplace incivility [8]. Additionally, Jawahar and Schreurs [8] considered various organizations from different sectors, producing inconclusive results and demanding sector-specific examinations. Similarly, the literature on employee performance tends to focus more on examining factors that count positively toward employee performance [11,12,13], and little evidence exists of stressors that harm employee performance, including incivility.When it comes to telecommunication organizations, the employees have to deal with many customers with different demands. Therefore, they need a comfortable and peaceful work environment to fulfill these demands. In contrast, a hostile environment accompanied by incivility makes them emotionally and physically exhausted [14], which results in work failures and decreases in performance. Pakistan became the world’s third-fastest-growing telecommunications market in 2008, with the highest mobile penetration rate in the South Asian region in 2018 [15]. The fast-growing telecommunication sector of Pakistan requires an efficient and effective pool of employees; hence, the behavior and performance of employees in this sector are critical.The aim of the current investigation is two-fold. First, it has not only combined two streams of incivility (coworker and supervisor incivility) affecting employee performance while using trust in the supervisor as an explanatory mechanism, but it has also used telecommunication organizations from a developing economy as a context. Second, the study is conducted in a collectivistic society where people do not expect to receive incivility and believe in maintaining harmonious relationships [16]. Hence, this investigation’s results will help generalize the findings of studies conducted in western, individualistic, and developed countries. This paper is divided into five major sections. Section 1 is an introduction to the topic and includes gap identification. This is followed by Section 2, which provides the theoretical framework and review of the relevant literature. Section 3 explains the methods adopted for the analysis. Section 4 discusses the data analysis and the use of SEM, as well as the results. Finally, Section 5 discusses the results, implications, limitations, and possible directions for future research, as well as some concluding remarks. 5. Discussion Examining how workplace incivility reduces employee productivity is a significant area of research. Therefore, there were five hypotheses developed for this study. The results of the study support a few of the earlier findings, such as the findings of Jawahar and Schreurs [8], who reported a negative relationship between supervisor incivility in the workplace and employee performance. However, at the same time, the results do not support the premise that incivility or rude behaviors are necessarily required for better employee outcomes [53]. Moreover, it is noted that uncivil behaviors are consistently seen throughout the organizations and are considered a daily routine [54], but that resolving and minimizing these behaviors is as necessary as any other factor for the functioning of these organizations.The difference between civility and incivility must be clarified here. Civility is the cumulative sum of the numerous sacrifices of living respectfully and has been used from the earliest starting point of civilization as a sign of regard for our fellow residents [24]. Incivility presents an inverse picture of the respect and honor that characterize civility. The opposite of civility is incivility, and it is characterized by humiliation and not giving value to those working at the same workplace. Therefore, there is a need to identify the reason for incivility in the workplace. Moreover, the notion that the weak performance of the employees triggers the supervisors to adopt uncivil behavior is an inadequate premise. It is likely that when workers’ work is hampered due to a few non-performing employees in the workplace, it compels them to behave with incivility toward their coworkers.The presence of trust can provide several benefits, such as an engaged and satisfied workforce having high levels of organizational commitment, thus enhancing performance outcomes. However, unfortunately, it is noted that the majority (up to or more than 90%) of employees are exposed to uncivil behaviors in the workplace [27,55].Workplace incivility is harmful if not avoided [10,27]. However, other studies have examined the direct relationships between workplace incivility and employee performance, and only a few have focused on examining indirect relationships such as trust among workers. Therefore, the variables considered for examining indirect relationships are necessary because they help further explain the existing relationships.The current examination reported that supervisor incivility brings negativity, and that coworker incivility harms at a greater rate. Generally, coworkers engaging in counterproductive and antisocial behaviors leads them to adopt uncivil behaviors to achieve personal benefits. Incivility is responsible for withdrawing employees’ focus from work and drawing their attention toward alternative job options. As a result, they may think of avoiding their job and ultimately adopt the option of leaving their jobs. These results are in line with Beattie and Griffin’s [56] findings, which state that the individuals who are more exposed to workplace incivility have a greater chance of having lower work engagement than those who are less exposed to uncivil behaviors. The results are also supported by the findings of Sharifirad’s [57] work, which has revealed the negative impact of a leader’s incivility on team members’ creativity in organizations. Additionally, the negative relationship between workplace incivility and performance becomes weaker when trust is added to the model.While looking at the mediating relationship of trust, it becomes clear that trust is an integral part of the workplace because workplace incivility produces burnout related to the job [58]. Workplace trust can make the situation normal and build confidence among groups, settle the existing confusion, and help to lower employee turnover intentions. It is observed through the examination of relationships that there still exist employees in these organizations who trust their supervisor and do not dislike them due to the incivility they adopt. They may like their supervisor due to other factors, such as his capability, benevolence, and integrity. The incivility prevailing in the organization may be due to the integrity factor of the supervisor. Others may take credit for it and use it as a negative tool for adopting incivility [59].The literature regarding workplace maltreatment has highlighted various factors that resemble workplace incivility, such as various types of harassment [60], social demolition [61], assault [62], and disgust [63]. Various kinds of incivility diminish employee work performance [24]. Incivility from colleagues weakens the targeted individual’s ability to accomplish work [54] (Lim et al., 2008) and increases work-related stress [34], employee turnover intentions [54], and work uncertainty [64]. Incivility from colleagues diminishes the intention among colleagues to be helpful and creates a distance between coworkers that ultimately results in conflicts and diminishes the execution of work [65,66]. Moreover, when customers observe incivility occurring in the workplace, they may also adopt uncivil behavior that can be connected with a diminishing of workers’ emotional wellbeing, a component of burnout in which feelings of exhaustion increase, thus stopping an employee from meeting work demands [67]. From the perspective of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, respect is necessary for an employee to keep them motivated and committed. It is possible to avoid performance lags through the development of trust. 5.1. Implications and Suggestions

In telecommunication organizations, the employees deal with different groups, such as coworkers, bosses, and customers. They are required to fulfill new orders, disseminate information to customers, register complaints, and so forth. This requires the provision of a conducive environment for the employees. Therefore, training must focus on inculcating not only the soft skills but also the hard skills of the supervisors and employees. The soft skills training may cover aspects such as communication and personality development skills. In contrast, the hard skills pertain to the systems and software used to deal with the customers and employees. Moreover, time management skills are also beneficial for avoiding mismanagement and incivility in the workplace. Telecommunication companies must focus on tactics to develop employee–employer trust to gain various benefits, such as timely decision making and better administrative control.

To avoid incivility, it is necessary for organizations to train supervisors and employees. This will help companies realize that dealing with employees and customers with incivility annoys them and makes them reluctant to use their services. Telecommunication organizations usually have rapidly dynamic and progressive technological environments with tight schedules and budgets for meeting customer demands. Therefore, appreciating employees and showing them respect can make them more effective.

Incivility can be avoided by adopting systematic assembly line procedures that help avoid conflicts and interruptions. This will help deal with each customer separately and enhance trust and satisfaction. At the time of recruitment, a balance must be kept when considering employees’ personality traits. Placing blame on others is linked with creating incivility.

The two theories used for the study are the conservation of resource theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. The results support the theories developed. According to the resource conservation theory, psychological stress may be caused in three instances: when there is a threat of a loss of resources, when there is an actual net loss of resources, and when there is a lack of gained resources following the spending of resources. Thus, the loss of these resources will drive individuals to certain stress levels. Therefore, individuals try to retain the resources for use to avoid stress.

According to the conservation of resources theory, the supervisor tries his best to retain the resources for exercising his power and tries to retain his position through his authority over the distribution of resources to subordinates, thus giving him the ability to influence subordinates and show incivility due to the power he holds. The same is true for coworkers who have resources and who work in a sequence, e.g., where the assembly line concept is used. Therefore, the workers may become a source of hindrance to their coworkers’ work and can contribute to the development of an environment of incivility.

In the second theory considered for this study, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, it was assumed that each worker in the workplace demands respect while working in the workplace. If respect is decreased or removed from the workplace, the motivation of workers is reduced, and their work performance will be disturbed. That is why respect is an essential element in organizations that will enable them to avoid any circumstances that damage the performance of employees. Respect is seen as the need of a human being for better work outcomes. If this need is not fulfilled, the individual may not be able to move ahead and accomplish individual or organizational goals.

5.2. Limitations and Future Directions

In this study, only a single sector, telecommunications, was considered, thus limiting the results and our ability to generalize to other sectors. Secondly, the questionnaires were distributed to the male and female respondents, but only very few females (seven) took part in the study and returned incomplete survey forms. At the time of data entry and analysis, due to the incomplete data, those responses were removed. This might have an impact on the generalizability of the results. Further, it is suggested that the researchers in their studies consider selecting a bigger sample size for a more complete explanation of the relationships examined.

Enriching the existing framework by adding variables on either side of the model is recommended. Moreover, indirect relationships can also be examined by adding mediators or moderators to the framework. Possible moderators that can be included in the framework include employee self-efficacy, discipline, and time management.