A performance issue we’ve all come across is the office gossip. The person who takes on the role of behaving like CNN to make sure everyone else hears the "news." We all have the person or people in the office who spread gossip and thrive on talking about others. This has the effect of making people feel unsafe; "will I be the target of gossip next?" We also know it wastes time as people become disengaged from the work and focused on the gossip topic of the day. There are usually a handful of people who are the initiators of gossip and the only way to stop it from happening is to address the issue directly with the individual. Here are a few talking points to use when addressing the gossiping employee:
"While it’s only natural to be interested in what’s going on in other people’s lives, I’d like you to resist the temptation to share personal information that you may be privy to or have learned from others."
OR
"I need for you to hold onto personal information that you may have come across. I’d like for you to bypass the temptation to share that kind of information with others."
Now you could just as easily say, "I need for you to stop gossiping" but that will most likely be met with a myriad of excuses. So, try translating what you don’t want, "gossiping" into a statement that describes what you do want.
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Hi Lior,
Thank you for your insight. You might be interested in a Wall Street Journal article that echoes some of your thoughts on the topic http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2009/12/10/is-office-gossip-helpful-or-hurtful/
My favorite article on the gossip was printed in the NY Times and shares the perspective of an employee on gossip; the harmful type of gossip, and why her company’s No Gossip Policy makes for a respectful environment to work in. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/jobs/15pre.html
I think what you describe here has a deeper problem hidden. A gossipy env. is usually not caused by one person – you need to have at least 2 to gossip. And then it spread – and the damage to the atmosphere in general is even worse than the damage to each person who every once in a while is the target of the gossip.
My suggestion is to try and understand why the office environment allows for personal gossip (I think the *other* type of gossip, talking about this and that, is quite ok, even helpful), and then change it from the grounds up.