“Left on Read”: Cyber Incivility and Emotional Exhaustion in Hybrid IT Workplaces in Kazakhstan

Abstract

Workplace incivility low-intensity, ambiguous disrespect has become increasingly common in hybrid and digital work settings, yet its manifestation in post-Soviet, multilingual, high power-distance contexts such as Kazakhstan remains underexplored. This study examines how employees in Almaty’s IT and digital organizations experience offline and cyber incivility, how these behaviors relate to emotional exhaustion and work attitudes, and which relational and cultural factors shape their impact. Using a qualitative interpretivist approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen IT professionals working in hybrid formats. Thematic analysis showed that incivility is often subtle, stress-driven, and embedded in everyday digital communication. Cyber incivility such as selective ignoring, abrupt tone, unclear task assignments, and minimal responses was perceived as especially harmful due to heightened ambiguity and lack of contextual cues. In line with Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, repeated exposure to incivility contributed to emotional depletion, reduced motivation, and withdrawal from collaboration. Supervisor trust and forgiving team climates emerged as key buffers, while hierarchical norms and multilingual tone variation intensified sensitivity to disrespectful or unclear communication. The study extends organizational behavior research by highlighting digital ambiguity as a distinct mechanism of resource loss and offers practical recommendations for improving respectful communication in hybrid workplaces