Hands off! The impact of bystander conflict on public service employees

Public service employees increasingly find themselves being hindered by bystanders while performing their jobs. In the scientific literature the specific phenomenon of bystander conflict has, however, up till now received little attention. In this article we will define bystander conflict and position it in the existing conflict literature. Integrating the literature on conflict, workplace aggression, and work interruptions, we developed a categorization of bystander conflict. Next, on the basis of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, we argue that, when public service employees are confronted with bystander conflict, this results in negative consequences both at the individual level (e.g., employee wellbeing), and at the team level (e.g., team performance). On both levels resources may be developed and deployed in order to minimize the negative effects of bystander conflict. Besides the theoretical relevance, this model provides practical implications, such as directions for interventions and support that organizations may offer their employees.