While workplace gossip can easily turn toxic, sometimes the act of gossiping can serve as a bonding activity, especially for subordinates chatting about a boss, according to research recently published in the Journal of Business Ethics.
Researchers from Rutgers University, Utah State University and Southern Methodist University surveyed more than 300 office workers, asking whether they had gossiped about their bosses and how they felt afterward; for some of the workers, they also surveyed colleagues to see if behavior changed after a worker gossiped.
“We often tell ourselves, ‘I shouldn’t be doing this,’ but it also feels really good,” Rebecca Greenbaum, a professor of human resource management in the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations and one of the study authors, said in a statement. “This research unpacks why gossip gives us mixed emotions and how it can affect the rest of our workday.”
Workers tended to avoid their bosses after a gossip session — but they also reported a greater sense of belonging with colleagues, leading to stronger collaboration that day, the research noted.
“We aren’t suggesting that gossip is the only way or the best way for employees to bond and connect with one another, nor are we recommending that we gossip about abusive bosses for social support,” Greenbaum said. “The more important point is to understand that gossip and our emotions play into our need for social survival.”
Research from McLean & Co. published last year found that the ability to create “authentic connections” is directly tied to business outcomes. In other words, employees that connect and thrive together tend to create better workplace performance overall.
But workers have leaned somewhat away from making friends at work in recent times, a Glassdoor report from 2025 said, in part because they do not expect to remain at their roles for long. It may also be harder to make friends at work than years prior due to factors like remote work, Glassdoor said.