Linking Forgiveness at Work and Negative Affect

Abstract

The present study investigates the impact of forgiveness at work (self, others and situations) on negative affect (NA) using age as a moderator. Data, collected from 376 employees working in various Indian manufacturing organizations, were analysed with the help of regression analysis. The results show that forgiveness (self, others and situations) is significantly associated with lower NA and age moderates the relationship between forgiveness (self and others) and NA. The study offers a concrete insight into the complicated play of age in linking forgiveness dimensions and NA, an area that has largely been ignored in organizational research. The study shows that forgiveness significantly reduces the NA on employees and hence, organizations should make positive interventions in order to encourage forgiveness at work. Organizational psychologists and HR counsellors can similarly develop psychological tests and use theme-based interventions to foster intrapersonal and interpersonal development of forgiveness at work.