Office gossip comes in many forms, mostly bad, but it is management that sets the tone for any good or bad outcome. At worst, office gossip is slanderous with appropriate penalties from dismissal to being sued for civil damages. Certainly, the spread of falsehoods is detrimental to people and the culture of the workplace. Office gossip in any form is a reflection of how management does or does not communicate with and/or support employees.
Workers seek control of their work performance, recognition when they deserve it and the security of their being and performance. Untrue workplace gossip undermines employee control, recognition, and safety. Most companies have created written policies that address office gossip. However, many companies simply have office gossip policies without understanding how communication and processes prevent or encourage office gossip.
What if the gossip is true? What if the president has an affair with one of the vendors? What if the principal was arrested for drunk driving? What if the CEO tolerates senior management holed up in his offices with his cronies leveraging and feeding the gossip/rumor mill to protect territory from him and/or slander rivals?
When a company culture is resistant to communications, insensitive to processes that foster performance, employee recognition, or job security, or tolerant of short-tempered behavior, office gossip thrives as it grows. Employees feel left out of the organization, resent its management, and do not trust that the organization can compete for their long-term job security.
Most of the recent office gossip articles point to the problem as being the employee, and in some cases, this may be true. However, office gossip is a corporate cultural phenomenon and therefore management’s responsibility is to prevent it…not through written, hands-off policies, but through responsible managerial behaviors that employees understand, respect and emulate. Key behaviors should be:
Management
– Communicate regularly with a constant positive message. Industry trends, organizational changes and why to do it, new products, promotions, recalls. Newsletters and emails are just the beginning. Quarterly group/team meetings with senior managers sharing brief summaries that allow for questions and answers from employees. If reasonable questions arise, commit to timely responses and make sure you answer them. If the information to be shared is less than positive, be direct and honest without deception.
-Actions speak louder than words. Management must be visible, accessible and accessible. Too many managers hide in their offices, avoiding employees and being purposely evasive when asked reasonable questions. Unfortunately, insecurity and fear in managers are common, a reflection of their bosses hiring cronies with no accountability for performance and a reluctance to make necessary managerial changes. If management wants the best for the organization than for themselves, they must behave accordingly. Daily interaction with employees is essential, say hello, ask how a project is going and listen sincerely. Survey after survey shows that most managers feel they are doing the right thing, but most employees say otherwise.
– Carrots work better than sticks. Managers are often reluctant to recognize good performance for fear of losing credit or spoiling employees. Employees consistently say in surveys that they hear nine negatives for every one positive from their managers. Praise builds teams and esteem, as it divides and tears down.
-Stop internal competencies as they only divide departments, employees and distract from a necessary focus on core competencies and customer needs. Performance measures and rewards should be based on value delivered to customers, not management trickle-down policy.
Employees
Take personal responsibility for your performance. Employment is a privilege, not a right. Your company must be competitive on value and price, which means constant change, including the work performed and the employees required. Add value and your job is secure…just float and your job is vulnerable. Gossiping to divert attention from yourself to those you offend or disrespect often backfires on the gossip.
-Office gossip is often juicy, funny, and sometimes insightful… however, it’s best to focus on listening and speaking skills only when you can add value to the organization. Either you have trust and respect for your management or you leave… staying with gossip is a waste of time now and potential elsewhere.
-Avoid labeling co-workers. Prejudice, prejudice, resentment, jealousy and the like do not bring any value to the organization and only reflect badly on offending employees…as well as being potentially defamatory. It’s interesting to see someone label an employee a “traitor” but then what does that make them? As the old saying goes, be careful when you point your finger as there are three more pointing at you.
The presence of gossip in the office should be seen by management as a reflection of their performance and organizational effectiveness. The more frequent gossip, the more HR issues will undoubtedly arise and job performance will plunge. The problem needs to be addressed with more emphasis on clear, consistent communications and candid engagement from management with employees. Policies in place against office gossip with heavy penalties only increase employee mistrust and diminish any respect, as management seems insensitive to employees’ needs for communication, understanding, recognition and mutual respect and safety… encouraging, much less diminishing, gossip.
Change will be a constant in the workplace, reflecting the market and the competition. Companies that embrace employees as sources of new ideas for products, services, improvements, and productivity are reaping the rewards of change. The insecurity and fears of management are a reflection of the leadership of the owners, the board and senior officers who are afraid of change. The command and control organizations of the old economy are fertile ground for office gossip. New economy business organizations embrace change, moving so fast, with participants incentivized for a common cause, that there is simply no time for office gossip, just big performance numbers, job security, and recognition from many industries.
Management must accept responsibility for their actions/omissions that create a culture in which gossip can thrive or decline. Employees must accept responsibility for their livelihood and give their best value anywhere, or switch to an employer who is more appreciative of their giving.
