by Judy Joyce

Created on: October 10, 2008

AS A CO-WORKER, THE GOSSIP IS MORE ANNOYING THAN THE TATTLETALE: Without access to damaging information, the Tattletale has nothing to tell. The Gossip, however, always has something to steal.

No one enjoys a toxic work environment whether caused by the environment or the workers themselves. While most work environments can be cleaned up or at least improved to make the daily grind bearable, getting a co-worker to clean up his act is not an easy nut to crack. Pardon the pun.

Consider the goals of the workaday world. For some, going to work is just part of the make-a-buck world. For others, it's a chance to do what they love. For some, work is an opportunity to put their creativity to work. For others, it's a place to compete and get ahead. As a result, whatever happens at work can be transformative. Enter the jerk.

It's difficult to know or take work time to assess, what possible motives inspire the destructive conduct of the tattletale or the gossip. Taking control of how either modus operandi effects you and your job is just about the time it is reasonable to shout "get a life" to the culprit. For or worse, that tactic is likely to just make things worse. Any change to improve the dynamics between yourself and the toxic co-worker, will have to come from you.

To make a change, it's important to determine one's goals. Goal setting at your job is a good work habit for you. Consider it a challenge. Add to your list the gossip and the tattletale as "Things to Do. In some ways, both personality types seem to have established for themselves that destructive conduct toward co-workers is a goal for them, as well. Now let's weigh which personality type is the most difficult for you to endure. A little soul searching is in order to sort this part out. But, that is what you will have to do.

As a general rule, the gossip is far more annoying than the tattletale. For a gossip there is always a story to pass around. The larger the personal contacts going around in the work environment, the more the gossip will be able to draw from a large storytelling pool. That doesn't mean it will work that way but assess that part first. Listen to what type of gossip is told. Is there a pattern to this gibberish or random selection. Is the gossip vicious or good natured? Does it seem to have something to do with appearing to be on the "inside" among co-workers.Do you enjoy it sometimes and engage in it yourself?

Don't waste too much time on this distraction put on your "to do" list out of

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