Do you engage in workplace gossip?
I am sure that all of us who hang our hats here in wooterville have, at some time in our lives, encountered the phenomenon of workplace gossip. The "Have you heard what so-and-so said to whose-y-whats?" or the "Do you know what diddly-bob did to whatsy-face?". This very thing came up today, at my work, where a story of workplace shenanigans, the kind between a man and a woman, from three years ago was told to a brand new employee while we were at lunch. I found this to be bothersome, on many levels. One, the individuals in the story still work here (though the shenanigans are long over) and two, the poor new guy now has to interact with them while knowing the intimate details, and three, it's just inappropriate. I tried to cut the teller of the story off, but was ignored.
So, my question to all of you is this. Do you engage in/condone/enjoy/abhor workplace gossip?
Well how else am I going to learn stuff?
(kidding!)
I sit across from a girl who regularly will have "6 inch conversations" with girls from around the office about who's doing what in the office with whom, and it makes me effing nuts.
Every office has a Kelly Kapur, each one worse than the last.
I'll observe but not contribute. I've had a couple things I said come back to bite me in the past so now I just keep my mouth shut.
I used to stay out of it, until I found out that untrue things were being said about me. So I listen in when things come up, but I keep my mouth shut unless it involves me in some way, shape or form.
Not so much gossiping as a fair amount of who is a waste of space and who actually gets stuff done. (Not that I ever spend time doing things like sitting on deals.woot in the middle of the work day. Nevah.)
I listen to the gossip.
I have found out that the truth usually lies someplace between the story being told and completely false.
If you can learn to take this chatter with a grain of salt, you can learn some stuff and, occasionally, get a good chuckle from the completely insane stories some people will tell.
I'm in nursing school, of course I have to gossip, it's basically a requirement to listen to it.
Thank the gods, I work at home. So, no.
I used to run a small department of 4 people, that consisted entirely of women, in a secluded building... God save me from venomous gossip. I had a basic policy that if I heard anything that would concern our HR department, that I would call them directly and haul everyone in - that slowed things down a little bit. Happy chatting about how people you care about are doing is a conversation - nit-picking and rumor spreading is just obnoxious. So glad I'm at home now.
why? What did you hear?
I generally don't care about it. Most of the people who do this are weak or cowards, that is why they don't say it to peoples faces. People are generally not as nice as everyone thinks, that is why I prefer to keep to myself. I interact with others, but I know the second one of those cowards doesn't like something that I have done, or they covet what I have earned or gotten, they are gonna talk smack about me behind my back.
This is why I love a straight shooter. You know where you stand with them, and there is no doubt about what they think. More mice then men these days.
I am so thnakful that the people in my current job all just get along and leave each other alone. It's a breath of fresh air. Everywhere else I've worked had been ripe with gossip.
No, but I know who does...meet me at the cooler and we'll talk.
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