An intricate dance is unfolding in today’s workplaces, where gossip masquerades as harmless conversation. But beneath this innocuous facade lies a destructive force that can dismantle trust, morale and productivity. It’s time to call gossip what it really is: a pervasive form of workplace bullying. There is a thin line between chatter and character assassination — and gossip goes right for the jugular.
It’s challenging to find someone who doesn’t vent about workplace frustration on occasion; it’s natural, normal and helpful at times, as it allows people to release tension and seek support.
“Not all gossip is equal,” Charlotte Davies, a careers expert at LinkedIn, told Harper’s Bazaar. A recent LinkedIn post cited University of Leeds research published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology that 90% of employees surveyed admitted to gossiping at work, but it’s nuanced. According to respondents to the LinkedIn post, 27% agree that office gossip encourages team bonding while nearly half (46%) of professionals believe that it’s toxic within the workplace.
When the conversation shifts from workplace grievances to people’s behaviors, choices or personal lives, it crosses the line from workplace banter to workplace bullying and harassment. Gossip isn’t merely water cooler talk — it’s a deliberate act to harm reputations and create an environment of suspicion and fear.
Erosion of Trust: The Invisible Wound
Trust is grounded in psychological safety and the bedrock of any successful organization. If you don’t feel safe going to work and you don’t trust your peers, how will you ever perform?
Gossip acts as an acid, corroding the workplace foundation silently and swiftly. When people are subject to gossip, they often feel betrayed and undervalued. This breach of trust leads to more guarded interactions and stifles communication and creativity while also hampering collaboration.
The result? A toxic workplace that is unable to function effectively and inevitably becomes a place where talent goes to die.
Productivity Takes a Hit
Gossip has a ripple effect that goes beyond the emotional harm it causes. As the behavior permeates through the workplace, the atmosphere grows toxic, and employees often find themselves preoccupied with the latest rumors, leading to a decreased focus on their workload.
Projects can suffer delays, and the quality of work typically declines. The time it takes to gossip is stolen from productive behavior and impacts the organization’s bottom line.
Mental Health: The Silent Killer
The psychological toll of being on the receiving end of bullying is profound. Targets experience high levels of stress, anxiety and depression. Even those who witness bullying behavior can be impacted — they become fearful of speaking out to avoid the wrath of the office gossip. The fear of being talked about or misrepresented leads to decreased job satisfaction, errors, increased sick time and, eventually, good people leave.
Gossip as a Bullying Tactic
Gossip is bullying. The behavior is intended to harm, undermine, isolate and control others. Gossipers wield their words as weapons of mass description, inflicting harm without leaving visible scars. Management tends to look the other way and human resource departments often don’t know how—or don’t care—to deal with it. The time has come to take on office gossip the right way.
According to employment lawyer Richard Johnson, partner and co-founder of Ascent Law in Vancouver, Canada, employers have a duty to intervene when gossip creates a hostile or humiliating work environment.
“Employers have a legal obligation to take action if one of their workers is being subjected to treatment from a person that the person knows, or ought to know, would cause the worker to be humiliated or intimidated,” Johnson said.
Johnson also emphasizes that gossip, often negative in nature, can be a particularly damaging force in the workplace. Beyond its legal implications, it can undermine morale and violate many companies’ respectful workplace policies, which frequently prohibit such behavior outright.
Wondering what to do if you are the target? Johnson advises documenting the gossip—saving written messages or noting details of verbal comments—and reviewing company policies on bullying or respectful conduct. “If internal actions do not remedy the issue,” he said, “you may have recourse to formal complaint processes.”
Cultivating a Culture of Respect
Leaders need to step up and take on workplace gossip. There is a real need to focus on creating a psychologically safe workplace where respect and open communication are paramount. Johnson recommends employers implement clear policies that address gossip and outline steps for reporting concerns. He stresses the importance of educating staff on unacceptable behavior — both during and outside of work hours — and taking all complaints seriously.
“If it is found that there is inappropriate conduct… take action,” he said. “Employees need to trust the process and know the policy will be enforced.”
Here are some tips:
• Implementing Clear Policies: Establish and enforce guidelines that define acceptable behavior and outline consequences for engaging in gossip – which need to be embedded your workplace bullying policies.
• Encouraging Open Dialogue: Create safe spaces for employees to voice concerns and grievances without fear of retribution.
• Leading by Example: Leadership should model integrity and discretion in their interactions, setting a standard for the rest of the team.
• Providing Training: Offer workshops on effective communication, conflict resolution, and the detrimental effects of gossip.
Gossip isn’t just idle talk; it’s toxic behavior driven by people who seek to destroy the workplace culture. The sooner organizations properly identify it as a form of bullying and take measures to actively promote a culture of transparency, respect, and accountability, the more likely they are to silence the whispers that are eroding workplace culture.
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