The workplace rumour mill is an influential phenomenon found in all organisations. Research suggests numerous reasons why employees gossip, be it to gather information, validate their own thoughts, to speak of norm-violating behaviour, or at its worst, to be intentionally disruptive and sow discord. With more than half of all office conversations qualifying as gossip, getting a handle on office gossip and its underlying drivers is vital to maintaining a harmonious and efficient workplace.

In doing so, it is important to distinguish between harmful workplace rumours and gossip that is net positive for the organisation. Positive office gossip plays an important role in policing bad behaviour, preventing employees from exploiting one another and lowering worker stress. Negative office gossip in comparison leads to a gradual decline of trust and morale, lower productivity, increased workplace anxiety and tension, divisiveness and in the long term, loss of talent and staff turnover.    

When chatter becomes harmful gossip

For team, colleagues, and organisational leaders, it is important to recognise when office chatter drifts from enquiring about a co-worker’s weekend to becoming a verbal attack upon another employee.

Questions employees and leaders can ask themselves to test whether office chatter is harmful include:

• Does it rejoice in the misfortune of others?
• Does it appear to perpetuate conflict or negativity?
• Does it speak ill or damage another employee?
• Is it unproven chatter about another employee’s work situation?

If any of the answers are yes, then what is being heard is likely harmful office gossip. Those most likely to perpetuate office gossip are disgruntled employees because they did not receive something they wanted, disagreed with a decision and as a result hold a grudge, or did not receive recognition – be it a promotion or otherwise – for work they believe merited it.

How to stop office gossip and workplace rumours at the source

The workplace rumour mill can be tricky to contain especially in large organisations where perpetrators can avoid accountability by using the “herd” to their advantage. In heading off negative workplace chatter, employees and team leaders can use the following techniques:

Be honest and open

Major changes in an organisation generate uncertainty, fertile ground for discord among colleagues. When changes occur, employees and team members must be clearly and openly communicated with. If employees are armed with the facts, they are less likely to panic or be persuaded by negative office gossip. By being honest and direct with employees, teams can become more cohesive and efficient in tackling uncertainty as they rally around a given cause. While employee morale may be negatively affected in the short term, hiding important information that only emerges later can be far more severe.

Always ask questions

When difficult decisions need to be made, seeking employee feedback before, during and after such a process is critical in mitigating the effects of negative office gossip. Through asking questions early and regularly, employees are encouraged to become invested in the process. By participating, there is also less chance of facts being twisted by the workplace rumour mill and those driving it.

Get employees to know each other beyond a work setting

Friendships are enduring because they have been fostered over a long period of time through a shared history where both parties have learned to trust one another. In a work setting, encouraging friendships or fellowships – friendly associations with those with a shared interest – stymie negative office gossip as employees can trust one another. These relationships can be encouraged through creating opportunities for team members to spend quality time with one another, be it through company events, creative icebreakers at the start of meetings or one-on-one lunches with one another.    

Actions speak louder than words

Leaders in an organisation are not just leaders of their teams or departments. They are representatives of an organisation’s values. If a leader seeks conduct based on mutual respect – anti-negative office gossip – but does not demonstrate this behaviour, employees quickly become cognisant of this hypocrisy. This undermines the leader’s ability to be a model of desired behaviour. Leaders must do as they say otherwise their words and ability to inspire is lost.

If your organisation wishes to learn more about Letsema’s Change Management expertise, located within our Next-Gen Operations and Customer & Marketing teams, click here.