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Dealing With Negative Workplace Gossip: From the Perspective of Face
Boqiang Zong1, Shiyong Xu2, Lihua Zhang1
1Department of Human Resource Management, School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China.
Frontiers in Psychology
|June 21, 2021
Summary
Employees targeted by negative workplace gossip may retaliate by gossiping themselves, fearing reputational damage. Self-monitoring can lessen these negative impacts.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Behavior
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Negative workplace gossip can harm employees and organizational dynamics.
- Understanding employee reactions to being targeted is crucial for managing workplace relationships.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the coping mechanisms of employees targeted by negative gossip.
- To examine the role of fear of losing face and self-monitoring in response to workplace gossip.
Main Methods:
- The study draws on face research and affective events theory.
- It proposes and tests a model where negative gossip leads to retaliatory gossip.
Main Results:
- Negative workplace gossip triggers fear of losing face, prompting employees to engage in gossip themselves.
- Higher self-monitoring moderates the negative effects of gossip on targets.
Conclusions:
- Employees may use gossip as a coping strategy when targeted.
- Interventions should consider self-monitoring levels to mitigate gossip's impact.
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