How to Handle Gossip in the Workplace

Focus on Solutions Not Problems

Much gossip arises when a group of workers gather together to discuss on a particular problem. Normally we can sense that the conversation in our group is headed toward complaining or gossiping, remember the old adage 'It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.' Instead of joining in with the issues, we can simply ask the particullar group what they thinks might be a solution. Of course, the group might not be able to come up with an answer or keep pretending.

However, the exercise of focusing on solutions will take away from the urge to gossip.Gossip can have many health and side effects on an organization if not handle properly. It can increase conflict between the staff and decrease morale among them. It can result in strained relationships and stress. Gossip breaks down the trust level within the group, which results in employees second-guessing on what going to happen and create more damage to each other and ultimately running to the manager to clarify the directions of the organization or instructions, or to settle the differences that will arise. Gossip is the breakdown or split of teamwork as the group breaks up into few groups and employees start ignore and refusing to work with others. Productivity is lost, when there is no teamwork.

Arm Yourself With the Facts

Is there truth to the tall tales? Sometimes there is a kernel of truth in gossip and this should be checked before addressing to the problem so that we are in well placed to respond with facts rather than emotions. This is especially important in relation to change coprate gossip where wild ideas normally take root quickly and spread even faster then fire; look for truth answers by asking questions of from the right people, namely, those who are in a higher position to give assurance and accurate answers. We may also need to seek additional facts from trustworthy sources such as company internal bulletins, official publications and meeting minutes if there is gossip about changes or redundancies that might sideswipe your response.

Why I Should Accept

Gossip can also sometimes view as positively. Good friends normally talk and care about other people. It is in that gossip discussion that they like compares their own standards, their own values and their own behavior to that of others. This is a good thing, when done properly.Gossip is common talk, a type of info or news for small group workers. It is a commentary on our own lives, as it reveals how we assess others.

And it is a way of sharing information and judgments upon others. It is talk about others—what they do and why they do it. In gossip we can set moral boundaries.However, as with all judgments about others, gossip can go wrong and turn into self-righteousness claim and cause unwarranted harm to others. Sometimes the talk can consider as malicious and comes from something less than a clean conscience. The problem arises when gossip turn and smears another’s reputation. Once the harm is done it is impossible to set right. To address the issues arises from gossip we can use the Hayes (1981) model to find the sollution.

Finding The Problem

From the information we gather we can see there is two problem statements arrise, one will be good gossip and another one is bad gossip.We need to identify there is two group people or spreading the gossip, Rita, Shidi and Janet all three of them saying company is downsizing and according to Zana, Ramli and Jamil, the news is just a gossip; the company is still in good shape.In this statement it’s very difficult to identify who talking the truth.

Representing The Problem

The problem arrise when we listen to the two type of gossip where we don’t know from where they get the information.First what we going to do identify the source of the info from where they got info. We can put Rita, Shidi and Janet in and identify as Group A and to Zana, Ramli and Jamil in Group B.We can ask the same question from both of the groups from where they got the information? Then we can ask the group B what they going to do if the gossip from group A is true?

The same question we can ask group A what they going to do if the gossip from group B is true? From here we can identify the reaction from both group from their body language, facial reaction and they will reveal fom where they get the informations.However as human being we still tend to believe informtion from both group and what we need to do is verify the source of the info from next steps.