Workplace Gossip and Cyberloafing: A Moderation Mediation Model of Work Alienation and Perspective Taking

Drawing upon the conservation of resources (COR) theory, the study explores the mediating role of work alienation in the relationship between negative workplace gossip (NWG) and cyberloafing. The study further aims to investigate the moderating role of perspective-taking in the aforementioned relationship by applying the moderated mediation framework. The hypotheses were tested using two-wave survey data from 354 employees in the IT/ITES sector. Main and interaction effects were analyzed using PROCESS v. 4.2. The study’s findings showed that work alienation mediated the relationship between NWG and cyberloafing. Further, perspective-taking was seen as a moderator, providing support for moderated mediation. The findings provide empirical support for the ‘loss spiral’ principle of the COR theory and extend the nomological network of NWG by demonstrating its influence on cyberloafing, an outcome that has not been previously examined. The results also highlight the importance of perspective-taking in curbing the ill effects of NWG in the workplace.