Whether or not gossip benefits organizations has become a gray area. Gossip, in some contexts,
may be good. Some leaders, such as Aviva Leebow Wolmer (CEO of Pacesetter), believe thatgossip can be harnessed by managers to make a positive impact on the organization. WhileWolmer generally believes gossip has a negative influence, she also thinks that gossip can beused to bond with coworkers and to create a sense of excitement in the office. In addition, whenemployees gossip with clients, clients may feel more valued by the company because they weregiven the “inside scoop.”What about when gossip alienates an employee? According to anthropologists, humans gainedthe ability to gossip through evolution. Gossip allowed our tribal ancestors to form bonds, whilealso learning who to avoid. According to recent research, negative gossip may have been used toidentify individuals who had broken norms (see Chapter 9) about sharing with tribe. Byostracizing the individual who did not act in the best interest of the tribe, the group as a wholebenefitted. Unfortunately, in the modern-day workplace, office gossip may serve to excludeothers. And unlike our tribal ancestors, gossip is often not directed towards employees who haveacted against a group. Instead, gossip about a specific individual is often a means of incivility(see Chapter 9).There are several ways for an employee to deal with being the target of malicious office gossip.Dr. Berit Brogaard of University of Miami suggests not confronting the person spreading rumorsthrough the grapevine. Instead, reaching out to a supervisor (if they are not also part of the rumormill) or HR may beneficial. Alternatively, openly talking about gossip in a blasé manner maytake away the gossiper’s motivation. Like many bullying behaviors, gossip is often meant toharm the target emotionally. When the gossiper realizes that they aren’t achieving this goal, theywill sometimes stop.Gossip can also harm individuals besides the target. Gossip that targets an individual maysplinter an office as people “take sides.” This can lead to low job satisfaction, lower trust, and adecrease in work productivity as people fail to cooperate with each other. And once the officeculture takes a turn for the worse, talented employees may choose to leave for a company with a more positive environment. Managers can try to avoid this situation by meeting with the team and discussing the problem, or creating official policies regarding workplace gossip.
Sources: M. Schwantes, “Head Off Harmful Office Gossip,” Chicago Tribune, January 30, 2017,http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/success/inc/tca-head-off-harmful-office-gossip-20170130-story.html, accessed April 14, 2017; A. L.Wolmer, “Five Ways to Transform Work Gossip into Positive Communication,” Entrepreneur, April 7, 2017,https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/290522, accessed April 14, 2017; L. Dodgson, “Four Ways to Deal With a Coworker Who’s SpreadingGossip About You,” Business Insider, March 22, 2017, http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-deal-with-gossip-at-work-2017-3?r=UK