Sheakley Updates

Addressing Office Gossip

Ella Baker
Addressing Office Gossip
Reading time 4 Mins
Published on Aug 29
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Professional approaches to defusing an awkward situation

What starts out as idle chit chat can quickly turn toxic. Office gossip affects the productivity and happiness of your team, but it isn’t always clear how you should address the situation. Nipping gossip in the bud can help you maintain an engaged workforce and maintain a positive working environment. Here are some professional approaches to defuse an awkward situation.

Consequences of workplace gossip

Gossip, and those who spread it, can be a drain on your workplace. Whether their disgruntled about not getting a promotion or just dissatisfied with management, a gossiper’s negative campaign against another employee or your company can distract from the real work of the office and create a cloud over your otherwise positive workplace.

Gossip leads to a decline in team trust and morale. Tensions and anxiety rise as rumors circulate, blurring the line between what is true and what is just rumor. This tension can lead to divisiveness as employees take sides.

The drama also creates a productivity drain as employees become caught up in the gossip. Rather than focusing on the work at hand, infected employees will spend more time spreading gossip and catching up on the latest updates – wasting valuable work time. This toxic environment can lead to high turnover and loss of talent among those who don’t want to get caught up in the soap opera.

Address the gossiper

The first course of action managers should take is addressing the key gossiper one-on-one. Depending on the size of your staff, you may already know who this person is or you may have to do a little digging to find out. Meet confidentially with the staff member and make sure that they understand the impact of their behavior. Address the specific consequence for the behavior, whether it’s a written warning, demotion, or loss of job. Confidentially and professionally addressing the person at the heart of the drama can often put an end to the drama on its own.

Encourage positive sharing

Rather than employees spreading gossip about one another or management, give them positive stories to talk about. If you receive positive feedback from a client about your product or an individual team member, make sure the whole staff knows about it. Encourage them to repeat and celebrate these positive moments, which has the added benefit of improving morale and reducing turnover. You can even create a gossip bulletin board, where team members can post positive stories about an interaction with a customer or a helpful coworker.

Be a role model

Employees often model their behavior on that of management. If you or another member of the management team have engaged or currently engage in gossip, it’s time to stop that behavior. Make sure that your entire management team “walks the walk” – leading by example and demonstrating to your employees that gossiping is neither healthy nor tolerated. Being positive role models for your staff isn’t always easy but being mindful of your habits and those of other managers is a great step toward creating a more positive and courteous staff.

Nipping gossip in the bud

Toxic workplace gossip can distract you from growing your business and prevent your employees from being productive. Being mindful of the conversations that are happening in the workplace, addressing issues as they arise, and being proactive by providing role models for your staff can help you maintain a positive and productive work environment.

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