workplace gossip

jlynch · August 2004

anyone have suggestions on how to keep hurtful workplace gossip to a minimum?

ritaanz · August 2004

Grab them by the throat and squeeze hard.

Seriously, the best you can hope for is to be able to control it. I have called together groups of employees and in "no nonsence" terms explained the ramafications of this type of behavior. I also admit that I cannot be every where and hear every thing. But, as adults, I hope that they would recognize that the baloney they are spreading is malicious and cruel. Your last sentence should tell them that this gossip stuff works both ways. One day, the whisperer will be identified and unemployed.

Oh, welcome to the Forum. Enjoy!

deniseE · August 2004

The person that solves this never ending issue will be the best paid HR person EVER!

watrsflo · August 2004

>The person that solves this never ending issue
>will be the best paid HR person EVER!

... a better mousetrap,huh!

My experience has been that no amount of wise or authoritative words of counsel from management has any effect on folks who gossip -- it's an habitual mindset that most gossipers are in denial about, and it's a lifestyle habit for them. By its very nature, gossip is sneaky and underhanded, and when counseling exposes it to light it just withdraws deeper into the shadows. The only thing that begins to have a positive impact is when peers/co-workers take a stand and say "enough is enough!" And when that is combined with an effective corrective action based on concrete facts, folks do tend to begin to understand.

If I had 2-cents, this would be half of it!

rad · August 2004

I agree that peer refusal to gossip is the best answer. Any time anyone tries to gossip with me, I flat out tell them I don't want to hear it. I simply do not care enough about people I hardly know to hear about their personal stuff. Most co-workers who gossip no longer try to drag me in. There is one who will never learn but I figure that one of these days she is going to say the wrong thing about the wrong person to the wrong person and burn herself. I hope I'm still here to see it x}> .

marc · August 2004

This topic seems to have a 60 day recycle rate. Lots of great suggestions come out, but humans have a propensity to gossip. As Rita said, you can just try to control it and let people know the consequences - the hammer may fall.

Has anyone ever terminated an EE for gossiping? I know I have not.

tonia · August 2004

I have had some experience with workplace gossip and here it goes: A few months ago, I had a male ee, whom the ladies around the office gossiped about being a male gigilo... (yeah.. ok..) I'm assuming so due to the fact that he wore open collared shirts and tight jeans to work and walked around "boldly". Needless to say, he heard them talking and became very upset, stating to me that he was being harassed due his gender. I, in turn, trained all staff on "appropriate behavior" and "professional conduct" during working hours. I also reminded them of our harassment policy. Depending upon the "content" of the gossip, would depend on if you have "discriminatory" gossip or "clothesline" gossip. Either way, in my opinion, training should be considered...

Tonia--HR Dir.

mwild31 · August 2004

I've terminated two people, same department, on the same day, not necessarily for gossip, but pretty close. Our supervisor was having a terrible time with his crew, everyone was grumbling, high absenteeism, half-a$$ed work being done, etc. It's something we had been monitoring, but were having little luck with pinning down the root cause when one of the members of the crew went on vacation to Ireland. While he was gone, the mood improved somewhat and more people began to come forward. Apparently, this member (worked here for about 1 year) had taken a strong dislike to one of our new hires (new hire had been here for 4 months) and the member was pointing out every fault, every "perceived" fault and then making up a bunch of stuff about the new hire as well. Which, in turn, made everyone else miserable & turned them completely against the new hire. We wound up our investigation the same day as the member had returned from vacation. It turned out the new hire was a bit of a poop and the member went way beyond our Statement of Purpose when it comes to how we treat each other, so we fired both guys the same day. At will at it's finest. After we term'd them, we went down and talked to the remaining crewmembers about our decision. After the initial shock (they've been working this way for awhile), a huge sigh of relief went around the room. By Monday, there was a renewed effort to pull together as a team and the rest is productive, profitable, fun history. The lesson for them and for us as managers is to nip gossip in the bud when it comes to our attention, because by that time, it's probably already had a truly negative affect on people or a group of people. Also, I hate the way this sounds, but the busier you keep people, the less time they have to gossip at work. It's hard to get rid of it completely, but I'm for taking action (if possible given your company/HR structure) when it comes to your attention.

pork1 · August 2004

MARC: Not yet but I put one on notice yesterday for this very issue. I had about a month ago rendered the mid-year review on this person in our corporate office with whom I have an administrative supervision relationship. My very words in writing and verbal with her operational boss in as a witness was to disengage from the company rumor/gossip mill. She had become known to all as a conduit for "stuff to confirm or stuff to start and enhance". This week I spent minute hours trying to investigate a particularly hateful and viscious rumor of sexual exploitations outside of our "world of work" but with other employees of our company. There were several women and a couple of men involved. The concerned young woman caused her hurt feelings, by living a lifestyle that brought led to the potential for rumors, followed by telling everyone she knew in person or on the phone all about the rumor. When the rumor cameback to her from outside of the company she rendered a formal complaint. We immediately launched an investigation and interviewed all parties identified. Found the one party that started the rumor which was very hurtful, she apologized, but stated she thought it was fact and not a rumor because it originally came from the complainer.

I gave the rumor munger a written notice and referenced the mid-year review, and a verbal discussion on this very issue. She now knows any further violation of my written and verbal instructions would constitute cause for termination.

This is the only way I know of stopping gossip/rumor mungering, have a policy which talks to our corporate responsibility for maintaining a professional working environment without "harrassment" of any kind. Rumor Mungering is just that, a cooking pot of hate, anger, frustration, jealousy, and harrassment! Then, of course, one must be willing to step up and discipline anyone who steps over a clear and written "code of conduct", a corporate family value.

Good luck, but it is a requirement to take action to stop, this sort of unprofessional behavior. We can not put our heads in the sand and think it is not our concern.

Pork

Don D · August 2004

Yes. Very simple. Have two employees. Both spouses of the other.

watrsflo · August 2004

>Yes. Very simple. Have two employees. Both
>spouses of the other.

Is this statement altogether cryptic, or do I just need another cup-o-java?

Whatever · August 2004

>Yes. Very simple. Have two employees. Both
>spouses of the other.

It won't work if they believe in "open" marriage.

SMace · August 2004

Duct tape. It works for everything.

Don D · August 2004

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 08-12-04 AT 12:36PM (CST)[/font][br][br]It's interesting that the reaction to the women in the office openly labeling the guy a gigolo was to offer training in "appropriate behavior and professional conduct". It should have been called what it was and is, Sexual Harassment. The conduct was sex-based, he came forward and indicated he was offended or bothered by it. There should have been a sexual harassment investigation launched just as if a group of guys were ogling a woman in a tight skirt and calling her a whore. Identical under the law.

The cryptic message to have only two employees, both spouses of the other means the only way to stop it is to have a husband and wife as the sole employees of the company. Surely they would not gossip to each other about each other.

ljohnson · August 2004

Not only do we operate in a small town, but our plant is like a small town unto itself. My guess is stronger supervision - if they're standing around gossiping, bust 'em back to work, note it on the evals of chronic gossipers, and yes, keep them busy. For those who chit chat while they work, well, not much to be done there.

Notice this is just theory. Our janitor is a habitual gossiper, and instead of saying anything or doing anything, her boss (the production manager, for pete's sake) just nicknamed her "Yappy" and encourages others to call her that, too.

workplace gossip

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