It’s not uncommon for everyone to have a bad day now and then, and during those times, many of us seek out someone to talk to about our frustrations and negative emotions. This act of sharing is known as venting, and in the workplace, it is a prevalent behavior as employees often confide in their coworkers about common grievances or shared experiences. While previous studies have explored the impact of venting on the individual doing the venting, there is less information available on how listening to someone vent can affect the listener.
Exploring the Research
A study conducted by Gabriel et al. (2025) involved interviewing university staff and alumni to investigate the effects of venting on listeners. In the first part of the study, participants were interviewed twice daily to assess the level of venting, stress, empathy, workload, and helping behavior. The second part of the study expanded on this by also looking at interpersonal mistreatment and the similarity between coworkers to determine if these factors influenced the outcomes.
The findings of the research suggest that listening to someone vent can lead to personal distress in the listener, potentially prompting them to engage in venting as well. Additionally, when listeners feel more empathy, venting can result in increased helping behavior, especially when colleagues share similarities.
Practical Implications
Venting is a common occurrence in the workplace, and organizations and leaders can take steps to address this behavior:
- Encourage employees to practice empathy when listening to their colleagues vent their frustrations.
- Help employees recognize when listening to venting becomes a source of stress for them; setting boundaries can prevent venting sessions from becoming overwhelming.
Citation: Gabriel, A. S., Lee, Y. E., Koopman, J., Rosen, C. C., Dutli, A., & Bush, J. T. (2025). The receipt of ventilation at work: a multi-study examination of affective and behavioral responses in ventilation recipients. Personnel psychology, 78205-227.
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