You may not be able to alter the corporate culture overnight, but you can change the poisonous culture of gossiping if you believe it is an issue in your workplace.
Gossiping in the Workplace
In most workplaces, gossiping is very rampant. People often seem to have nothing better to do than talk about one another. The topics of conversations may be about business or the company, their colleagues, and their bosses. They often transform a partial truth into a whole speculative truth, according to a published article in The Balance Careers.
They make predictions about the company's future, whether colleagues will be fired, and what other employees do in their own time. Employees, in short, are capable of talking about anything and there are people inside the workplace who want to know everything.
Gossiping is something that should not be tolerated inside the working environment because this can be the source of a bigger conflict. In fact, this becomes more rampant today because of social media, and there are some middle managers who love to stalk their employees through their accounts which is no longer part of their job.
Read Also : Feeling Self-Conscious? Here's How to Overcome
Ways to Manage Gossiping
You may deal with gossip in the same way you would deal with any other bad conduct from a coworker. When feasible, use a coaching method to assist the employee in improving his or her conduct. Gossiping is typically a life-long habit that takes a lot of work to stop. Managers who are oblivious to rumors have the potential to ruin a department.
Here are some tips according to a published article in INC:
1. Zero Tolerance Policies on Gossiping in the Workplace
Many businesses have policies in place to prevent workers from revealing sensitive information to other parties. If a manager, for example, divulges private information that leads to workplace gossip about an employee, the manager may face disciplinary action or perhaps termination.
2. Addressing the Source of Gossip or the Perpetrators
Stand up to the main offenders and speak to them one-on-one in a neutral and more private area or office so the conversation will not be overheard. The goal is not to have a smackdown, but to show how your colleague's conduct is impacting and interrupting work using concrete instances.
3. Ignore the Gossiper
Gossipmongers thrive on attention and will prey on ears that are open and welcoming. Your strategy is to be engrossed with your job, as you should be so that you are not accessible to listen. Don't grab the juicy gossip baton from the gossiper who wants to spread it by enlisting the help of other gossipers.
4. Choose Your Friends Wisely
You spend so much time at work; it's normal for friendships to form. Withhold information until you are certain that you have established a degree of trust. Always remember that there are only two reasons why you should not trust a person. First, you do not know them and second is that you just simply know them, according to a published article in Gar Finkle Executive Coaching.
5. Address the Gossiping Problem to Your Superior
Gossiping wastes a lot of time and lowers morale in the workplace. A business that cares about its employees' health would appreciate the chance to rectify this problem.
Unless you are very confident that a colleague can be trusted, the rule of thumb is straightforward. Don't share personal information with coworkers who may become fuel for the rumor. This is a sure sign that you're dealing with serial gossipers. You can guarantee that if they're talking about others, they'll be gossiping about you as well. Don't allow them to do so.
Related Article : How Do You Know if Someone Is Insecure?
