Gossip is one of the biggest causes of negativity and fights in any workplace. Gossiping not only creates bad blood among employees, it also wastes many productive hours. An office inflicted with this virus can vitiate the atmosphere of the entire organization and lower the morale of the workers.
Rumors and gossip can make employees trust each other less and can sabotage teamwork. Fake or exaggerated news can make people insecure and create uncomfortable situations. Oftentimes, innocent and hard-working workers fall victim to these gossips which can have a very negative effect on their career and the company as well.
One of the best ways to counter gossip is to nip it in the bud. Find the exact source of the rumor and what it is about right there. Gossip and rumors spread virally, so eliminate them at the source. When a colleague indulges in a rumor with you, he finds out his intentions. Will you benefit from the spread of this news? Are you related to the event or the person involved in the gossip? Most of the time, professional people resolve rivalry by smearing others through gossip. We need to understand that gossip is nothing more than a drain on our productivity without doing anything in terms of productivity.
Never get carried away by gossip. Make sure you don’t forward the gossip yourself. Don’t pass it on. If you do, you are just as guilty as the other person. Make sure the gossip ends with you. Never show an undue interest in gossip. You’ll be surprised how gossip dies a natural death when you show a lack of interest.
Always stay away from situations and people where gossip originates. It will take credibility away from gossip. This will make the gossip less believable and therefore of less interest to others. Another side effect is that it will keep you clean and you will never be accused of engaging in or creating gossip.
Whenever someone indulges in gossip, the best thing to do is deflect the subject. This will signal to the gossip that people are not interested in their products and that they had better move on. Change the subject and the gossip will end at that point.
If a particular piece of gossip involves you, confront the gossip directly. Ask them to provide credible evidence and the reason behind the rumor spread. Most of the time the gossip will have none and will stop bothering you.
Gossip can be easily eliminated if there is a zero tolerance policy. If someone gossips with you, let them know clearly and in no uncertain terms that you don’t feel comfortable discussing such topics. Let them know that gossip can get them into sticky situations and can get them fired. Such warnings deter most gossips.
Never gossip or engage in gossip. By setting an example of yourself, you send a message that workplace gossip is a self-defeating exercise and employees should refrain from it.
