When Gossip Helps or Harms: Workplace Gossip, Rumination, and Well-being

Abstract

An increasing number of organisations have recognised that focusing on the well-being of their employees is a crucial factor for maintaining their competitiveness and sustainability. The sense of well-being among employees is influenced by both individual and organisational factors. One such individual factor is the extent to which an employee ruminates about work-related issues. We can distinguish between positive and negative topics and events in terms of rumination. Rumination can significantly impact our well-being because it makes it difficult to detach one's self psychologically from work. On the organisational side, workplace gossip can have a substantial effect on employees' well-being. Organisational gossip can also be categorised based on its impact: positive and negative gossip. But what kind of relationship can be observed among these three factors among Hungarian employees? Results indicate that positive workplace gossip has both a direct and an indirect effect on employee well-being through positive rumination, whereas the hypothesised mediation model for negative gossip was not supported.