by Rodney Roller

Created on: November 12, 2008   Last Updated: November 25, 2011

Workplace gossip is one of the trickiest subjects any leader or manager can deal with on the job. When a person thinks about gossip at their place of employment they immediately conjure negative images of closely huddled groups of employees whispering to one another about management, people they do not like, and spreading hate and discontent throughout the office. The first reaction of many supervisors is to ignore gossip, quash it, or to discount it as trivial and without merit. The truth of the matter is this; gossip is just a natural and necessary part of the workplace. It is a subtle and nuanced form of communication that the manager or executive ignores at their own peril. Understanding, and managing, workplace gossip can be an advantage that has significant impact on a company's bottom line and can distinguish you from your peers as a superior leader and supervisor. Here are a few tips and pointers to keep in mind when dealing with scuttlebutt around the office:

The Informed Leader is the Prepared Leader

It seems like such a simple thing but, listening can be the most useful thing any supervisor does. Gossip can be used as a very accurate barometer for the workplace. It can be a tool used to measure the mood among the employees and even among members of management. Often an employee is reticent to tell their boss how they feel face to face, a manager with a keen ear can find out what their employees want or need using the grapevine.

If your office or workplace is going through significant change (merger, layoffs, etc.) it would behoove employees at all levels to listen to what is being said around the office. Misinformation or rumors can cause undo panic or create extra tension. Use this information to quell fears and ease strain by communicating what is "really" happening and to show employees that you are in touch with what is going on and with concerns that they have.

Do not be so quick to dismiss gossip even if it does not seem to be workplace related. Eilene Zimmerman of The New York Times writes that gossip is just information in an informal format and the wise executive can discern a great deal about the state of his/her company just by listening to the type of information zooming across the gossip wire. If there seems to be an excessive amount of gossip going around the office you might want to be concerned with how much work is actually being accomplished.

Identify Toxic Gossip and Be the Antidote

Tamara Shweitzer of Inc.com reported that in

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