To err is human; to forgive, divine: A scoping review of workplace forgiveness experiences

Abstract

Forgiveness in the workplace can play a crucial role in employee health and organisational outcomes. This scoping review explored the emerging evidence on employee experiences of workplace forgiveness. The search included JSTOR (2020) and Scopus databases, spanning the period 2010-2020. Studies were included for the review if they focused on employee experiences of forgiveness in the workplace, were peer-reviewed, and were written in English. Opinion, discussions, and theoretical papers were excluded. Twelve studies were included in this review. Data were synthesised through thematic analysis. Emergent themes included forgiving workplace culture, feelings of justice, and workplace relationships as aspects that influence employees’ workplace forgiveness experiences. These results could guide forgiveness-oriented interventions for workplace health, safety and workforce development in organisations.

Keywords:

• employee health and well-being
• organisational outcomes
• scoping review
• workplace apology
• workplace forgiveness
• workplace transgressions