Love it or loath it, office gossip is a universal phenomenon that affects all workplaces from the top to the bottom. Office gossip is something that has been tolerated by employers and managers for a long time, more often than not many have participated in it.
But office gossip is now being recognized as an occupational hazard for many businesses. Supervisors, managers and Human Resource departments find themselves exerting too much effort dealing with rumor and innuendo within the company ranks. Whether it's hurting individuals, or is destructive to company image and morale, office gossip needs to be addressed by management.
In an environment where there are a number of different personalities, including the needy, the ego-driven and the neurotic combined with a business that may lack effective communication, office gossip will exist because it's a normal human behavior.
WHAT IS GOSSIP?
Gossip can me malicious rumor and discussion about another individual or it can be information that is related to policy and change within a company. There are two types of gossip, constructive and destructive gossip.
~Constructive gossip
Constructive gossip can be an effective communication tool within a business. Information about pending promotions, possible merges and information about competitor's movements can prove to be positive for someone "in the loop".
~Destructive gossip tends to be the kind of gossip aimed at an individual and their personal lives. This gossip can result in hurt feelings, erodes trust and morale and can often lead to insinuations of slander. Destructive gossip hurts ones credibility amongst co-workers, creates mistrust and if directed about company policy and decisions, can seriously injure
A survey by the American Training and Development conducted in 1994, found that one in five employees participated in workplace Gossip and that 64 per cent admitted they gossiped at work "sometimes". We can only imagine with the increase in social network sites and inter-company email how much this figure has grown in recent times.
WORK ENVIRONMENTS WHERE GOSSIP FLOURISHES
Although gossip is rife across many industries, there are particular environments where it tends to flourish.
~Where there is a lack of trust amongst management and employees.
~Where communication amongst management and employees is poor.
~Where the management holds little credibility amongst employees.
~Where employees are bored and have little to do.
~In high tensioned workplaces where management and employees are often in disagreement.
Gossip is sometimes used to determine the pecking order within the company. Participating in gossip in the workplace can build relationships amongst coworkers. It can be informative and used to gain trust and information that can be used for personal betterment within the company.
HOW DOES GOSSIP HARM BUSINESS?
~Lack of productivity
Whether the gossip is productive or destructive, the fact remains that it's costing companies worldwide a lot of money. This can be in the form of lost productivity due to the time partaking in gossip instead of working. For example, in the workweek of 30 individuals who spend three hours of this time gossiping, this results in a large figure of paid time to gossip and not work.
~Hurts Individuals and reputations
If gossip is aimed at a particular individual, it can also result in severe damage to feelings and reputations. This kind can obviously spiral out of control and causes adverse damage to ones current and future career.
A victim of gossip is also more inclined to become less productive and most often will leave their place of employment. When an employee leaves a company we must consider how much this has cost. The money involved in recruitment, training, expertise and the loss it will incur, all hurts a company's bottom line.
~Misinformation
When the gossip and rumor mill begins to turn it can often lose control. For a company that has failed to communicate information correctly or not at all, workers will often come to their own conclusions on matters. For a company that relies on reputation within its industry, rumors can be damaging to its credibility and status.
Misinformation regarding the health of a business released to competitors can cause problems for the individual company, its staff and reputation.
~Misuse of Resources
Managers and supervisors will be spending a lot of time trying to decipher the gossip and who is behind it. These resources should be spent on more productive items instead of being the "go-to" for gossipers and their victims.
TACKLING THE GOSSIP PROBLEM
Following are some ways to try and minimize office gossip from a manager's perspective.
~Good leaders are good communicators
The first step in minimizing office gossip is by keeping the staff abreast of issues that may affect them. Hold regular meetings where issues may be discussed openly by staff and management and develop a system where information is accessible by all.
~Effectively deal with complaints
Gossip tends to originate from a complaint. If this complaint is not dealt with efficiently and quickly, it can often grow in size very quickly.
~Why are staff gossiping?
Does your staff have enough tasks to do that keep them busy? Idle hands make for idle minds, therefore causing time to participate in gossip.
~Develop a policy on Office Gossip
Whether it is classified as gossip or bullying, the company should have a policy and a plan in place that deals with office gossip.
~Lead and they shall follow
Don't partake in idle gossip yourself. As a manager or supervisor you need to lead by example and this means by not partaking in gossip and the rumor mill.
~Assess the nature of the gossip
If the gossip is dangerous to another individual's character, the issue will need to be addressed immediately. A good plan is to either tell the person that they may need to verify that information with the victim, or to tell them you do not partake in idle gossip and would appreciate it if they'd do the same.
Gossip exists worldwide and in just about every industry. Although it cannot be eliminated, using the above information can try and minimize the source of gossip and make the workplace more productive.
For further reading, consult the books below:
The Working Wounded by Rob Rosner
You'll Lead They'll Follow by Daniel Kehoe and Stephen Godden