The Sound of Bias: How Supervisor Accent Bias Drives Employee Time-Theft Behavior

Leveraging affective events theory, the current study investigates the association between supervisor accent bias and employee time-theft behavior. We conceptualized organizational cynicism and perceived organizational support as mediators and organization-based self-esteem as a moderator to investigate how these factors collectively shape time-theft behavior. In Study 1, a vignette-based experiment (N = 196), we found that supervisor’s accent bias was positively related to employee time-theft behavior and organizational cynicism and negatively related to perceived organizational support. In Study 2, a 2 × 2
experimental design (N = 204) revealed that organization-based self-esteem buffered the negative impact of a supervisor’s accent bias on organizational cynicism and perceived organizational support. In Study 3, a multi-wave, multisource field study with 257 employees and 73 supervisors, we found evidence of indirect effects through organizational cynicism and perceived organizational support in the relationship between supervisor’s accent bias and time-theft behavior; however, these indirect effects were weaker among employees with higher organization-based self-esteem. These insights yield valuable practical implications for service firms, underscoring the necessity of managing supervisors’ accent bias to foster inclusive workplace practices and enhance employee well-being in tourist hotels.