It’s Not “Unprofessional” to Gossip at work
Do You Gossip At Work? I Think We All Do!
Or Is It?
This is the eye grabbing title of a recent article in Harvard Business Review.
The article immediately grabbed my eye, because I have always felt that gossip at work is something that should never be tolerated, yet this article has opened me up a bit on the subject.
In life and in the world of leadership coaching, I have never been a fan of a great deal of gossip at work (or in social circles), because I believe that:
- About 99% of the time, gossip is delivered by a third party. I don’t really want to believe much that does not come straight out of the horse’s mouth.
- By the time I hear gossip, I wonder how much the story has been changed, watered down or embellished
- I always wonder about the source…gossip always seems to come to me from the same people, so it makes me wonder about their motives.
- I have seen gossip at work destroy families and businesses.
The recent HBR article suggests that managers and leaders often try to squelch gossip at work without addressing the deep rooted problem that is generating it…that gossip is a symptom of a much larger issue and by listening closely, a leader can work to resolve the big problem at the root.
I know that everyone gossips…we all do in one way or another. And…managers and leaders DO gossip. My question today, is this: Do you agree that workplace gossip can be professional if addressed head on?
Leave your comments below about the HBR Article about Gossip at Work below.
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Bea, while I didn’t read the whole HBR article, I do think that using the word “gossip” is rather inflammatory. We all recognize the value of the informal network but the word gossip has a connotation of somehow being derogatory or cruel.
If it weren’t for these informal communication channels most information would not be transferred. It may get filtered but I have discovered even information from the “horses mouth” is often slanted and interpreted differently by those hearing the same words. The issue for me is always one of what is the motive of the person who is “sharing” the info. This is often far more telling that the actual story itself.
I smile at this quote – I hate to spread rumors–but what else can one do with them. (Amanda Lear, model/singer, in 1978 interview)
Finally, so I am not being misunderstood, gossip in its true definition is by nature destructive. The issue isn’t one of professional or not.
In my experience gossip is a powerful force that can make or break a company in times of change. You can use gossip to your leadership advantage by communicating what is going on as much as possible… and involving cross functional groups in discussion and change process. Then, they become the gossip bearers of good news.
Often gossip is nothing more than a coping mechanism for stress. So, the more resources and truth that is available the less harmful gossip develops… and healthy gossip prevails. This is why I believe that integrated collaborative change processes are so effective. They engage people to be involved, share information and when there is enough integration of process, they build forward motion in the company to move forward… building momentum and excitement with the aid of positive gossip, in essence.
I had a boss who used gossip to see what came back and who told whom. He told me I was never one to be tested by him since he knew that I did not gossip. It might be tempting, interesting, but often incorrect and as the saying goes, “What goes around, comes around.”
Thank you all for your responses.
I find the Etymology from Wikipedia most interesting. While the word strikes a negative chord, it appears the origin goes something like this:
“The word [gossip] is from Old English godsibb, from god and sibb, the term for godparents, i.e. a child’s godfather or godmother. In the 16th century, the word assumed the meaning of a person, mostly a woman, one who delights in idle talk, a newsmonger, a tattler.[4] In the early 19th century, the term was extended from the talker to the conversation of such persons. The verb to gossip, meaning “to be a gossip”, first appears in Shakespeare.”
When I taught a management development course we encouraged managers to “feed the grapevine” which is the fastest form of communication in any company. People gossip and I don’t think the label “unprofessional” applies. Change “gossip” to “talk” to each other and we wouldn’t consider that a pejorative. Feeding the grapevine means managers and management communicating information — the bad and the good — as soon as possible by formal and informal channels.