By Ashneet Kaur, Sudhanshu Maheshwari, Arup Varma
Evidence-based HRM: a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship | February 2026
https://doi.org/10.1108/EBHRM-12-2023-0344
Kaur A, Maheshwari S, Varma A (2026), "The digital escape: examining the impact of cyberloafing on gossip-induced emotional exhaustion and the mediating role of self-esteem". Evidence-based HRM: a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship, Vol. 14 No. 1 pp. 120–137, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/EBHRM-12-2023-0344
Evidence-based HRM: a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship, February 2026
Purpose
This research sheds light on how workplace gossip may affect employees' emotional well-being via self-esteem. Further, the study examines the moderating role of cyberloafing in the examined relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employs a moderated mediation model to examine the linkage among workplace gossip, self-esteem, and emotional exhaustion, incorporating cyberloafing as a moderator. Data were gathered from 249 employees working in various industries from the US.
Findings
Workplace gossip substantially diminishes self-esteem, which is inversely related to emotional exhaustion. Notably, cyberloafing positively moderates the relationship between self-esteem and emotional exhaustion, heightening the adverse effects of gossip.
Practical implications
The findings have critical implications for human resource management strategies. To mitigate the impact of gossip, HR managers should foster positive work environments, promote emotional well-being, and implement policies to curb cyberloafing.
Originality/value
This study expands the discussion on workplace gossip while probing the role of self-esteem and cyberloafing. It contributes to the application of the conservation of resource theory to analyze emotional well-being in organizational settings.
Dr. Ashneet Kaur is an faculty in Organisation Behavior at the Indian School of Business (ISB). Her work lies at the intersection of strategic HRM, technology (including AI), and entrepreneurship, with a focus on how organisations design people systems to enable agility, scale, and sustained performance.
She holds a PhD from IIM Ahmedabad and has prior experience in both academia and consulting, having worked on projects with leading organisations such as McKinsey and Deloitte. Her research explores contemporary HR challenges in startups, small, and large organisations, particularly in contexts of rapid growth and digital transformation.
Beyond research and teaching, she actively engages with industry through leadership development programs, consulting, and board-level roles. Her work aims to bridge rigorous academic insights with real-world managerial practice.
