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IMPACT OF Gossip in The Workplace

Gossip in the workplace has negative impacts such as missed deadlines, conflicts between employees, broken trust, lack of teamwork, and decreased productivity. Gossip results in supervisors and managers spending significant time resolving issues instead of completing work. It can even cause good employees to leave and supervisors to feel overwhelmed by the emotional toll. Gossip is defined as communicating unverified information about others to spread negativity. While some see it as a way to feel important, it is actually very destructive to workplace relationships and culture.

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Ana Maria D. Almendrala
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232 views

IMPACT OF Gossip in The Workplace

Gossip in the workplace has negative impacts such as missed deadlines, conflicts between employees, broken trust, lack of teamwork, and decreased productivity. Gossip results in supervisors and managers spending significant time resolving issues instead of completing work. It can even cause good employees to leave and supervisors to feel overwhelmed by the emotional toll. Gossip is defined as communicating unverified information about others to spread negativity. While some see it as a way to feel important, it is actually very destructive to workplace relationships and culture.

Uploaded by

Ana Maria D. Almendrala
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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IMPACT OF Gossip in the Workplace….

 Gossip results in missed communications that often result in


deadlines not being met, or work not getting done properly.

 Gossip results in misunderstandings that quickly lead to conflict, and
sometimes to such strained relationships that some employees can
no longer work together effectively.

 Gossip breaks down the trust level within the group, which results in
employees second-guessing each other and ultimately running to the
supervisor to clarify the directions or instructions, or to settle the
differences that will arise.

 Gossip is the death of team work as the group breaks up into small
"clicks," and employees start refusing to work with others.

 Gossip results in the supervisor spending an enormous amount of
time trying to figure out who said what to whom, so the workgroup
can accomplish the task(s) assigned. Or, worse yet, the supervisor
struggles to explain to the manager that the on-going conflicts and
communications problems within the workgroup are the reason work
doesn't get done only to hear the manager comment, "Why can't you
manage your team better?"

 Gossip impacts productivity as staff uses the employer's time to
engage in the gossiping.

 Gossip sometimes is so severe that the good employees, those that
tend to not engage in the gossip, leave the workgroup.

 Gossip is so overwhelming that supervisors find themselves going
home at night so exhausted that they wonder if being a supervisor is
worth the emotional toll it takes.
Gossip Defined

Gossip is the primary mechanism for communicating and spreading


negativity. For this reason, managers and supervisors need to take active
steps to control gossip. We have found the definition that follows to be
very helpful in nailing down what gossip means.

Gossip is defined as a form of communications that an individual(s)


participates in for the purpose of discussion, or passing onto to others,
"hearsay" information. Gossip is a very destructive, hurtful, and divisive
form of communications that often permeates the workplace. There are
employees that take great pleasure and spend a great deal of time
gossiping and spreading rumors. Known as rumormongers, these
individuals often participate in gossiping with other employees because
they believe it increases their importance in the workplace and builds their
self-esteem. Some employees may view this individual as being the "in-the-
know" person in the workgroup.

Not a very flattering description of the gossiper is it? Yet, although we


provide training directly to workgroups that are experiencing gossiping, so
far we have not had a single seminar participant object to this definition. In
some instances we have had some participants experience a realization as
they saw their behavior defined for the first time. Participants have actually
written on the seminar evaluation form that they didn't realize their own
"gossiping" tendencies, the reason they engaged in the behavior, and
finally, the impact it has on others. Pretty powerful stuff!

Here are some practical ways to stop yourself and


discourage others from gossiping:

1. Change the subject


2. Say something positive about the other person
3. Walk away from the conversation
4. Keep quiet
5. Clearly stat that you no longer want to
participate in gossiping about others

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