Supervisor negative gossip and target’s helping behavior: the role of emotional exhaustion and Islamic work ethics

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effect of supervisor negative gossip on targeted employees’ helping behavior by examining the mediating mechanism of emotional exhaustion and the moderating role of Islamic work ethics. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected in three waves from 279 MBA students working in various organizations across Pakistan. SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 21.0 were used for reliability, validity and mediation-moderation analyses. Findings The results show that supervisor negative gossip reduces employees’ helping behavior, with emotional exhaustion mediating this relationship. Islamic work ethics further moderates the negative effects of supervisor negative gossip. Originality/value This study extends the literature by examining how supervisor negative gossip impacts employees’ helping behavior through COR theory and highlights the moderating role of Islamic work ethics, providing enriching insights into its organizational influence.