The Impact of Workplace Gossip on Organizational Cynicism: Insights from the Employment Relationship Perspective

Abstract

This study examined the effects of workplace negative gossip on organizational cynicism. Moreover, we explored the antecedents of workplace negative gossip based on the employment relationship perspective, tested the relationship between abusive supervision, psychological contract breach and workplace negative gossip. The data were collected from 455 employees in Taiwan. Three major findings manifest in the results. First, workplace negative gossip had a significant predictability for organizational cynicism. Compare to interpersonal-related negative gossip, the effects of task-related negative gossip on organizational cynicism were larger. Secondly, employment relationship (abusive supervision and psychological contract breach) had significant predictability for the employees’ workplace negative gossip. Thirdly, we found that employment relationship affects organizational cynicism through its impact on workplace negative gossip. In summary, workplace negative gossip mediates the relationship between employment relationship and organizational cynicism.