Exploring Toxic Positivity, Shame, Emotional Exhaustion, and Job Withdrawal Intentions in the Workplace

The safety of the psychosocial work environment has a significant influence on employees' overall wellbeing. Research shows that positive and supportive work environments can enhance mental and physical health. Conversely, an excessive emphasis on forced positivity—toxic positivity—may harm employees' mental health. However, research on toxic positivity in the workplace remains limited. This study aimed to examine whether shame and emotional exhaustion, in serial, would mediate the relationship between toxic positivity and job withdrawal intentions. Employing a convergent mixed-methods approach, a sample of 301 Australian employees (M_age = 34.2 years, SD = 10.6; 76.4% female) completed an online survey. Findings revealed that toxic positivity was positively related to shame, emotional exhaustion, and job withdrawal intentions. Additionally, shame and emotional exhaustion, in serial mediated the relationship between toxic positivity and job withdrawal intentions. Reflexive thematic analysis indicated that participants identified and understood the concept of toxic positivity in the workplace. The implications of these findings suggest that toxic positivity can be detrimental to employee wellbeing and that organizations should be cautious of overgeneralizing positivity in the workplace. Additional research is necessary to enhance our understanding of the influence of toxic positivity on shame and emotional exhaustion in individual-specific behavioral responses.