While prior research indicates that managers’ efforts to facilitate moral repair in the aftermath of workplace wrongdoing can benefit both offenders and organizations, in this study we build on the restorative justice and unethical prosocial behavior theoretical frameworks to examine the potential dark side of managerial-facilitated moral repair. Results from a multi-wave survey of 244 full-time employees, where employees were asked to recall an incident where they had intentionally or unintentionally caused harm at work, show that their managers’ restorative justice actions are associated with employees engaging in unethical pro-supervisor behavior (UPSB). This effect is mediated by their gratitude, desire to reciprocate, and identification with their manager. Importantly, the relationships between offending employees’ gratitude and desire to reciprocate positive treatment and UPSB are weaker for employees with a strong moral identity. Implications for restorative justice theory and managerial practice are discussed.
