WWYD: Indulge, Nibble or Shun Office Gossip?
Whenever someone gives me guff about reading trashy gossip columns, my response is always, ‘œWell, how are they any different from talking about your co-workers?’ The usual responses are 1) ‘œThat’s totally different. I know these people, and my co-workers actually affect my life,’ or 2) ‘œI don’t gossip about my co-workers.’
I concede that point #1 has merit, but then again, many times people talk about co-workers from a personal perspective, when ideally, the scope of discussion should be limited to how one is affected by the professional nature of the relationships or interactions. As for point #2, CareerBuider.com polled workers and discovered that 61% of employees admit to spreading or listening to office gossip while on the job. How about when they’re off the clock, like at lunch, happy hour or family dinner? I’m guessing the percentage of gossipers gets higher.
The point I’m getting at: you’re like a celebrity too, at your workplace. People are talking about you, good, bad or indifferent, either at the water cooler, while they’re at lunch; or you’re some character to a host of strangers connected to your co-workers. For all you know, someone could be blogging about what it’s like to work with you. There’s nothing you can really do about it because work takes so much of our waking hours Monday through Friday — obviously you impact the lives of the people you’re paid to know.
So what exactly draws the line between office gossip and simply ‘œtalking about work?’
The first two definitions of gossip I found explain it to be, ‘œidle talk or rumor, esp. about the personal or private affairs of others,’ and ‘œlight, familiar talk or writing.’
Does this mean it only counts as office gossip if you’re doing it at the physical office or with co-workers outside? Or is it office gossip when you’re generally complaining or sharing stories about the people you work with? Anyway you look at it, we can likely agree that the things you say have consequences, no matter where you say it.
We all have better things to do than engage in gossip, whether it’s about famous people or those in the next cubicle. Nevertheless, many of us participate anyway. Knowing that you’re just as likely to be the subject of discussion, work related or not, what would you do the next time you suspect workplace gossip is happening either on or off the clock? Indulge, nibble of shun the office gossip?
There’s a saying: “don’t sh*t where you eat”. That applies to work. Don’t gossip at work. Someone tries to engage me in gossip, I stop them right up front. After awhile, people won’t bother you with gossip because they know you won’t listen. People will trust you because they see you as a neutral party. The trust of your co-workers can be invaluable.
A new study in the UK reveals that “gossiping about office politics, other colleagues and the boss is now a staple skill being deployed by career-minded Brits to get ahead. And it’s girls who are leading the way.”
“David R. Butcher at ThomasNet weighs in, “Gossip around the coffeemaker can be a dirty business. You hear the boss is “working late” with his secretary? Probably best to stay out of it and not spread the news. However, not all gossip is negative — especially if you act on what you hear rather than spreading it. Use information gleaned from office gossip to do someone a favor and odds are the favor will be returned.”
“Don’t make others look bad. Don’t criticize employees or bosses. Couch criticism in terms of an employer’s professional qualities rather than making it personal.”
Sounds like good advice to me!