The boomerang of leaders’ high performance expectations: the role of emotional exhaustion, perspective taking and prevention focus on unethical pro-job behaviors

Purpose We integrate self-control theory and regulatory focus theory to examine whether and when leaders’ high performance expectations can boomerang – by draining employees’ self-regulatory resources (via emotional exhaustion) and then triggering unethical pro-job behaviors (UPJB). Design/methodology/approach We conducted a multi-wave, time-lagged, self-report questionnaire study, with focal variables assessed across three measurement occasions and employed path analysis in Mplus 8.3 to test the whole moderated mediation model. Findings When leader perspective taking is low, leaders’ high performance expectations are more likely to increase employees’ emotional exhaustion. In turn, emotional exhaustion is most strongly translated into UPJB when employees are high in prevention focus. The indirect effect of leaders’ high performance expectations on UPJB via emotional exhaustion is higher when leader perspective taking is low and employees’ prevention focus is high. Originality/value Our findings pinpoint the boundary conditions under which performance pressure becomes ethically hazardous and offer actionable guidance for communicating ambitious expectations without escalating exhaustion or UPJB.