Whispers in the Office: Unveiling the Role of Workplace Gossip in Shaping Trust and Employee Citizenship Behaviour

Abstract

The article particularly emphasises significant and relevant literature concerning trust and its three primary dimensions: ability, benevolence, and integrity. It also examines organizational justice, perceptions of corporate social responsibility and employee voice. Additionally, the discussion addresses third-party gossip alongside the five dimensions of Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) to establish the connection between trust and OCB. A self-administered quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted involving the Bahraini Olympic Committee, comprising 320 employees. The findings indicated that elements of the social system, as well as quasi-structural characteristics, significantly influenced employees' perceptions of trust in the organisation and their OCB. Within this context, organizational justice and integrity emerged as the most critical factors, while employee involvement, benevolence, and engagement in corporate social responsibility also played a notable role. Alarmingly, the research uncovered the presence of negative third-party gossip, even in situations characterised by high organisational trust. In the final analysis, the study demonstrated that OCB is positively influenced by trust, highlighting civic virtue as a particularly important aspect. The evidence provided supports the hypothesis that trust in the organisation is cultivated by the underlying organisational culture.