Assessing job performance from an affective event perspective: moderation of communication competence

Despite growing scholarly interest in affect at work, the specific types of workplace events that trigger affective reactions and the mechanisms through which these reactions relate to job performance remain largely underexplored. This study investigates the evolution of job performance through the lens of Affective Events Theory (AET). Using field survey data collected from professionals across high-tech and banking industries, the study empirically tested the proposed hypotheses. The findings indicate that workplace events such as red tape and leader incivility indirectly relate to job performance through both positive and negative affect. Moreover, the relationships between leader incivility and affective responses, both positive and negative, are moderated by employees’ communication competence. These results provide valuable theoretical and practical implications while also acknowledging certain research limitations.