When the Clock Turns Toxic: How Time Stress and Gossip Undermine Job Performance

What is it about?

This study examines how time-related work stress—the strain of having too much to do in too little time—affects job performance and how negative gossip and collectivistic orientation shape this process. The authors argue that overwhelmed employees may cope by gossiping about others to protect self-esteem, but this drains emotional and cognitive energy, reducing performance. They also propose that employees with strong collectivistic values, who view themselves as group members, may be especially prone to this reaction. Using multisource, three-wave data collected from employees, their peers, and supervisors in Pakistani organizations, the study found that time-related work stress indeed reduces job performance because it encourages employees to engage in negative gossip about their colleagues. This tendency is even stronger among collectivistic employees, who may turn to gossip as a way of sharing frustrations and preserving group identity under stress. Although such conversations may offer short-term relief, they divert attention and resources away from productive work, thereby worsening performance. For organizations, the findings highlight that time pressure and informal negativity are jointly harmful to both performance and workplace harmony. Reducing unrealistic time demands, promoting open communication about stress, and discouraging gossip-based coping can help employees manage workloads more constructively. Training in emotional regulation and stress management can further ensure that collectivistic teamwork becomes a source of support, not tension, under time strain.

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Photo by Thriday on Unsplash

Photo by Thriday on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This research is unique in identifying negative gossip as a psychological mechanism linking time-related work stress to reduced job performance. It enriches conservation of resources theory by showing how stressed employees attempt to restore depleted self-esteem resources through unproductive social behavior. Furthermore, by examining the moderating role of collectivistic orientation, it reveals that cultural values can intensify the unintended consequences of stress. The study is timely as time pressure has become a defining feature of modern workplaces. In Pakistan and other collectivistic contexts, where interpersonal ties play a central role, these findings show that the same social bonds that strengthen cooperation can also amplify stress-related behaviors when unmanaged. By recognizing how cultural values shape coping responses, organizations can better support employees in channeling collective energy toward collaboration rather than gossip—turning social connection from a liability into a strength.