# The Impact of Supervisor Envy on Employee Behavior How envious bosses affect the quality of leader-member relationships - **Source:** [Journal of Applied Psychology](https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/apl) - **Published:** 2026-02-16 - **Topic:** [Leadership](https://brifing.si/c/leadership) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/54627ed0-d3d1-4d84-acbf-4073d4bdbee7 ## The New Face of Workplace Envy Recent years have seen workplace envy research expand to include supervisors envying subordinates (downward envy). This study examines the emotional and behavioral reactions of employees targeted by such envy. ## Threat or Opportunity? Employees appraise supervisor envy either as a relational threat or opportunity. This appraisal leads to different emotional responses, such as relationship anxiety or hope. ## Anxiety and Avoidance Behavior Employees experiencing relationship anxiety tend to avoid their supervisors. This behavior negatively impacts the quality of the leader-member exchange relationship. ## Hope and Approach Behavior Employees feeling hope demonstrate more citizenship behaviors toward their supervisors. This approach strengthens the leader-member relationship. ## The Role of Power Dynamics Employees' sense of power relative to their supervisor mitigates the anxiety-based pathway but has limited effect on the hope-based pathway, revealing the complex impact of power dynamics. ## Implications for Management Practices The research offers practical suggestions for managing downward envy in organizations. Understanding emotional responses is crucial for maintaining stable leader-member relationships. ## Sources covering this story - http://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001366 — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._