Research shows that coworkers can play a critical role in shaping employee vitality, but we have little insight into specific actionable behaviors that coworkers can take to affect the vitality of other employees. We draw insights from social information processing theory to argue that coworker positive work event disclosure has a positive indirect effect on employee vitality through the mediating role of employee career ambition. Drawing insights from role congruity theory, we further propose that this indirect effect is stronger for men compared to women. To test these arguments, we use a time-separated field dataset (n = 175), which provides support for these hypotheses. We conclude by discussing the theoretical contributions with respect to the important role of coworkers in sharing positive work stories with others as these stories elicit employee cognitions (career ambition) that foster employee vitality. In addition, we provide interesting gender-focused insights that suggest these coworker stories are particularly impactful for men. Practical insights for HR professionals, leaders, and employees are provided to meaningfully improve employee vitality in organizations.
