Argumentum ad hominem and coercive company culture influences on workaholism: Results and implications of a cross-cultural South Korea study

Abstract

The present study investigated the association between supervisors’ use of argumentum ad hominem or confrontational dialogue and companies’ coercive company culture on employees’ emotional exhaustion and workaholism. The survey was conducted with (non-permanent), multicultural foreign workers living in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and other areas in South Korea. Participants (N = 462) were non-permanent foreign workers from China (n = 131), Vietnam (n = 106), Indonesia (n = 55), Cambodia (n = 53), Philippines (n = 70), and South Africa (n = 47). Statistical analysis was conducted using a hierarchical analysis method. A post-hoc independent sample t-test revealed no average difference between the Asian and South African nationality groups. Overall, the data suggest supervisors’ use of argumentum ad hominem to predict employee emotional exhaustion overall. Further, supervisors’ use of coercive company culture explained workaholism in female but not in male employees. Supervisors’ use of argumentum ad hominem predicted workaholism among men. These findings indicate that a toxic supervision and organisational culture can be damaging to foreign workers’ psychological well-being.