We
all have that one person in the office that has nothing better to do than talk
about her co-workers. And let's be honest, we have all participated in gossip at one time or
another. After all, it’s tough to resist a juicy new piece
of information about another person. Co-workers overhear a colleague
making dental appointments, having marital spats, and discussing layoff rumors.
The question is: what do they do with the information they hear? Does your
corporate environment condone gossip?
Employees need to understand that rumors can “permanently damage professional images.” Busybodies who blabber about other people’s business may derail their own careers as well.
Employees need to understand that rumors can “permanently damage professional images.” Busybodies who blabber about other people’s business may derail their own careers as well.
Before
sharing a juicy tidbit, people need to ask themselves:
•
Will discussing this information distract people from the work at hand?
• Could
this tasty morsel damage morale or someone’s reputation?
• Does
it “cross the line into harassment?”
If
yes to any of these, then folks need to keep their mouths shut.
Now
on the other hand, some gossip has also been proven to be useful in the
workplace. There are supervisors who learn how hard their employees work
through gossip, like how: “Jayne has been volunteering with a lot of
projects lately.”
Insightful
workers use gossip to their advantage. For example, learning that your
co-worker is going on a month-long leave will give you the opportunity to
immediately volunteer to help out with any of their projects while
they’re away, making you look good in front of your boss.
As
we know, not all gossip is good. Malicious gossip like: “I can’t believe
that suck-up Frank got the promotion” can decrease workplace
productivity and cultivate resentment. This is even worse when false rumors
meant to bring others down are spread.
Negative
gossip and mud-slinging does not just bring one person down. The negativity in
the workplace environment fills it with tension, making it bad for everyone. If
the office atmosphere is strained, small problems are blown up and of employees
become anxious and tense.
Evaluate the Gossip
When
your co-worker comes to you with some new tidbit of gossip to tell, try
answering the following questions:
- Why is my co-worker sharing this news and what are his/her motives?
- Does this news have any basis?
Inspire Positive Conversation
Everyone
would prefer to work in a healthy positive environment rather than in an
uncomfortable, backstabbing one. Try to be a role model in the betterment of
favorable conversation; this is especially important if you’re a team leader. If
you hear anyone starting gossip that you know is just malicious talk and
mud-slinging, stop it immediately. You can say something like: “I don’t
think Jake is a slacker like you’ve been saying. As a matter of fact, I’ve seen
him working a lot of overtime lately. "If
the mean talk continues, the issues should be brought up in a company meeting; talk about
how the nasty gossip and mud-slinging has been negatively affecting everyone’s
work. You may be surprised to see other co-workers are thinking the same way as
you do.
Act Promptly
Make
sure to clarify things with anyone involved. If someone has been spreading a
rumor that you’ve been taking credit for Steve's work, talk things out with
Steve and make sure that he knows that the rumors aren’t true. Speak
with the person who has been fueling the rumor mill. Try to uncover and solve
the source of the resentment. Be calm and composed during the conversation.
Acting rash or immature will only turn the situation even more against you. Show
how fictitious the gossip is by behaving in a way that contrasts the chatter.
By continuing to live life the way you’ve always had, you’ll extinguish any
talk false rumors against you.
We
spend more time with our office family during the week than we do our children
and our spouses; so we need to do everything we can to make it as enjoyable as
possible.