Effect of Positive Workplace Gossip on Employee Silence: Psychological Safety as Mediator and Promotion-Focused as Moderator

Abstract

The development of electronic information technology has made workplace gossip more ubiquitous. As a part of interpersonal communication on informal occasions, positive workplace gossip affects individuals’ mood, cogni-tion, and behaviors. In light of this and based on the Social Interdependence Theory, the study proposed that positive workplace gossip has a negative effect on employee silence, and psychological safety mediates this rela-tionship. In addition, the promotion-focused moderates the relationship between psychological safety and employee silence. Based on a two-wave sampling design from 311 innovative enterprises employees, the results of Structural Equation Model by AMOS 22.0 and Mplus 7.0 supported all the hypotheses. Results revealed that positive workplace gossip can decrease the employee silence through the mediating role of psychological safety and moderating role of promotion-focused. These findings provided theoretical implications and practical sugges-tions for enterprise managers to create positive communication climate to reduce employee silence.