Hidden Consequences of Political Discourse at Work: How and Why Ambient Political Conversations Impact Employee Outcomes

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Rosen, Christopher C.; Koopman, Joel; Gabriel, Allison S.; Lee, Young Eun; Ezerins, Maira; Roth, Philip L.
• 署名单位: University of Arkansas System; University of Arkansas Fayetteville; Texas A&M University System; Texas A&M University College Station; Mays Business School; Purdue University System; Purdue University; State University System of Florida; Florida State University; Clemson University; University of Arkansas System; University of Arkansas Fayetteville
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0021-9010
• DOI: 10.1037/apl0001171
• 发表日期: 2024
• 页码: 795-810
• 关键词: political conversations; negative affect; cognitive depletion; work goal progress; job satisfaction

摘要

Discussions of politics have become increasingly common in the workplace, likely due to increasing political polarization around the world. Because of this, political conversations have the potential to be emotionally charged and disruptive, creating tension in the workplace and negatively affecting employee productivity and well-being. In light of this possibility, the goal of the current investigation was to examine the costs of ambient political conversations in the workplace, assuming that simply overhearing such discussions-without being a participant in them-may have unintended consequences for employees. Across three studies, our findings indicated that employees experience negative affect after overhearing political conversations at work, with these effects being attenuated (amplified) in contexts where employees perceive that their coworkers are more (less) similar to them. In addition to unpacking the mechanisms through which ambient workplace political conversations might impact employee outcomes, our findings from Studies 3A-B provide evidence that under certain circumstances (i.e., when employees agree with the content of ambient workplace political conversations), employees may experience a boost in positive affect after overhearing such conversations at work. Altogether, our findings provide insight into the costs and potential benefits associated with overhearing coworkers discussing politics in the workplace, particularly for those employees who perceive themselves to be dissimilar from their coworkers.