Abstract:
This article examines how employees use gossip as a resource to cope with social isolation. Building on a qualitative study with 32 truck drivers in a Western European company, our research identified gossip in close relationships and gossip in distant relationships as distinct patterns playing a different role in coping with social isolation, and a third pattern in which gossip was not beneficial. First, gossiping with close friends at work helped drivers engage in emotion-focused coping by reducing stress and loneliness. Second, gossiping with distant colleagues helped drivers engage in problem-focused coping by exchanging knowledge involving people in the organization. Third, gossip avoidance occurred in distant relationships, where drivers limited gossip exchanges going beyond instrumentally useful information. Overall, these findings show that drivers relied on different layers of their social network to cope with social isolation. Enriching previous research, this study shows that gossip represents an essential resource for emotion-focused and problem-focused coping.
摘要:
本文研究了员工如何使用八卦作为应对社会孤立的资源。基于对西欧公司32名卡车司机的定性研究,我们的研究发现,亲密关系中的八卦和遥远关系中的八卦是不同的模式,在应对社会孤立中扮演着不同的角色,还有第三种流言蜚语无益的模式。首先,在工作中与密友闲聊有助于驾驶员通过减少压力和孤独来进行以情绪为中心的应对。第二,与遥远的同事闲聊通过交流涉及组织人员的知识来帮助驾驶员参与以问题为中心的应对。第三,八卦回避发生在遥远的关系中,在那里,司机限制了八卦交流,超出了仪器上有用的信息。总的来说,这些发现表明,司机依靠不同层次的社会网络来应对社会孤立。丰富以往的研究,这项研究表明,八卦代表了以情绪为中心和以问题为中心的应对的重要资源。