Office gossip takes many forms, mostly bad, but it is the management that sets the tone for any good or bad outcome. At worst, office gossip is libelous with appropriate penalties from dismissal to being sued for civil damages. Certainly, spreading falsehoods is detrimental to people and workplace culture. Office gossip in any form is a reflection of how management does or does not communicate with and/or support employees.

Workers seek control of their work performance, recognition when they deserve it and security of their being and performance. Untrue workplace gossip undermines employee control, recognition and safety. Most companies have created written policies that address office gossip. However, many companies simply have policies around office gossip without understanding how communication and processes prevent or encourage office gossip.

What if the gossip is true? What if the president has an affair with one of the vendors? What if the principal was arrested for drunk driving? What if the CEO tolerates top management holed up in his office with their cronies taking advantage and feeding the gossip/rumor mill to protect his turf and/or smear rivals?

When a company culture is averse to communications, insensitive to processes that foster performance, employee recognition, or job security, or tolerates bad-tempered behavior, office gossip thrives as Employees feel left out of the organization, resentful of their management, and do not trust that the organization can compete for their long-term job security.

Most of the recent articles on office gossip point to the problem as being the employee, and in some cases this may be true. However, office gossip is a corporate cultural phenomenon, and therefore management’s responsibility is to prevent it…not through written policies without intervention, but through responsible management behaviors that employees understand, respect, and emulate. The key behaviors should be:

management

– Communicate regularly with a constant positive message. Industry trends, organizational changes and why to do it, new products, promotions, recalls. Newsletters and emails are just the beginning. Quarterly group/team meetings with senior managers sharing short summaries that allow for questions and answers from employees. If reasonable questions arise, commit to timely responses and make sure they are answered. If the information to be shared is less than positive, be direct and honest without misleading.

-Actions speak louder than words. Management must be visible, accessible and accessible. Too many managers hide in their offices, avoid employees and are purposely evasive when asked reasonable questions. Unfortunately, insecurity and fear in managers are common, a reflection of their bosses hiring cronies with no accountability for performance and a reluctance to make necessary managerial changes. If management wants what is best for the organization than for themselves, they must behave accordingly. Daily interaction with employees is essential, say hello, ask how a project is going and listen sincerely. Survey after survey shows that most managers feel they are doing the right thing, but most employees say otherwise.

– Carrots work better than sticks. Managers are often reluctant to recognize good performance for fear of not getting credit or spoiling employees. Employees consistently say in surveys that they hear nine negatives for every one positive from their managers. Praise builds teams and esteem, as it divides and knocks down.

-Stop internal competencies as it only divides departments, employees and distracts from a necessary focus on core competencies and customer needs. Performance measures and rewards should be based on value delivered to customers, not trickle-down management policy.

Employees

-Take personal responsibility for their performance. Employment is a privilege, not a right. Your company must be competitive in value and price, which means constant changes, including the work performed and the employees required. Add value and your job is secure…just float and your job is vulnerable. Gossiping to divert attention from yourself to those who offend or are disrespected often backfires on the gossiper.

-Office gossip is often juicy, amusing, and sometimes insightful…however, it’s best to focus on listening and speaking skills only when it can add value to the organization. Either you have trust and respect for your management or you leave… staying with the gossip is a waste of time now and potential elsewhere.

-Avoid tagging co-workers. Prejudice, prejudice, resentments, jealousy and the like add no value to the organization and only reflect poorly on offending employees…as well as being potentially defamatory. It’s interesting to see someone label an employee a “traitor,” but then what does that make them? As the old saying goes, be careful when you point your finger, as there are three more pointing at you.

The presence of gossip in the office should be viewed by management as a reflection of their performance and organizational effectiveness. The more prevalent the gossip, the more HR problems will undoubtedly arise and job performance will sink. The problem needs to be addressed with more emphasis on clear and consistent communications and sincere management engagement with employees. Established policies against office gossip with heavy penalties only increase employee mistrust and diminish any respect, as management appears insensitive to employees’ needs for communication, understanding, recognition and mutual respect and safety… encouraging, let alone decreasing, gossip.

Change will be a constant in the workplace reflecting the marketplace and competition. Companies that embrace employees as sources of new ideas for products, services, improvements, and productivity are reaping the rewards of change. The insecurity and fears of management are a reflection of the leadership of the owners, the board and senior officials who are afraid of change. The command-and-control organizations of the old economy are fertile ground for office gossip. New economy business organizations embrace change, moving so fast, with participants incentivized to a common cause, that there is simply no time for office gossip, just big performance numbers, job security and recognition from many sectors.

Management must accept responsibility for their actions/omissions that create a culture in which gossip can flourish or diminish. Employees must accept responsibility for their livelihood and deliver their best value wherever, or switch to an employer who appreciates their giving more.