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If you’ve ever tuned into the hit show
“The Office,” whether it’s the BBC version that’s written and directed by
Ricky Gervais or the NBC knock off with Steve Carell, you know that gossip
in the workplace is as common as coffee breaks and the pointless meeting.
The unique comedy is a tongue-in-cheek, documentary-style series that
points out the humor and banality of the 9-to-5 existent in the working
world of white-collar professionals.
For the sake of comedy, the show takes jabs at the office environment with
inappropriate remarks and petty behaviors, which include rumor mongering
and backstabbing. Office gossip is something you certainly wouldn’t want
to be a part of if you’re the target of the insufferable office manager
David Brent, played by Gervais. But in the real world, is office gossip
really that insufferable? Like many human behaviors, there are two sides
to the coin.
We are a world of gossipers. There’s little doubt about that. A recent
study in Great Britain found that one in five people in the United Kingdom
use instant messaging at work to spread office gossip. In most cases, the
word is thought of in a negative manner, as in Walter Winchell’s famous
quote that “Gossip is the art of saying nothing in a way that leaves
practically nothing unsaid.” In their book, Gossip: Ten Pathways to
Eliminate It from Your Life and Transform Your Soul,” authors Laurie
Palatnik and and Bob Burg refer to gossip as a “fired bullet – once you
hear the sound, you can’t take it back.” The authors recognize that gossip
has been around since human came into existence, and continues to be “a
popular but destructive pastime.”
But is gossiping always bad? Many agree that spreading rumors about the
personal affairs of others is out of line, but gossip is also a vehicle
that can help pass along vital corporate and workplace information. Since
companies and supervisors tend to keep delicate matters under wraps,
hearing important news from the office grapevine is sometimes the only
forum employees have. Conversely, using that same grapevine can work in
your favor. It can be used to relay success on a project, or, when the
direct approach isn’t the best approach, get the word out to a fellow
employee that you’re not happy with his or her conduct.
Women traditionally are associated with gossiping more than men, but the
fact is that both sexes are involved in the behavior. It’s just that men
and women tend to gossip about different things. But when it comes to
office-related issues, both men and women have a stake in the rumor mill
when the news directly affects the employers or company.
There are, of course, Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to taking part in
office gossip. The first is to give and take it in small doses. Nobody
wants to spend much time with or invest too much in the lead gossiper.
Keep the gossip on a professional level and work-related, like if you’ve
heard of pending layoffs or a hiring freeze. Don’t result to petty attacks
on co-workers. Always consider the source of the gossip and the motivation
behind them. If the person you hear them from has zero credibility or is
passing along harmful personal information about someone else, take the
high road and don’t pass along the gossip.
Finally, if you’re caught gossiping about something and are called on the
carpet by a friend, co-worker or boss, own up to it. If you’re willing to
risk spreading gossip then you should be able to stand up to the heat and
explain your intentions.
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Writers
Profile
Teena Rose is a columnist, public speaker, and
certified/published resume writer with
Resume to Referral. She’s
authored several books, including "How
to Design, Write, and Compile a Quality Brag Book,
20-Minute
Cover Letter Fixer, and
Cracking the
Code to Pharmaceutical Sales.
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