OFFICE GOSSIP: A GROWING & DANGEROUS EPIDEMIC

OFFICE GOSSIP: A GROWING & DANGEROUS EPIDEMIC

Office gossip has taken on new dimensions, especially in this high-tech age. It can be a dynamic toxic force that under-mines working relationships, careers, and the well-being of any business. Did you think gossip was left back in the halls of high-school? Think again...

research SHOWs...

Researchers at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California have found significant dangers resulting from gossip and negative language in the workplace. Their findings include the erosion of an organization’s trust and morale, lost productivity through wasted time and negative attitudes, increased anxiety and divisiveness within teams, hurt feelings and reputations, and the resulting heightened employee attrition rate due to an unhealthy work environment.

are you feeling the effects of office gossip?

The odds are quite high that you are. Gossip has never been so prevalent in the workplace and is a topic that resonates with nearly everyone. It is destroying lives, ruining reputations and polluting our social climate. Office gossip is a harmful behavior that continues to gain momentum, with the capacity to inflict insurmountable damage individually and collectively.

GOSSIP IS ALL PERVASIVE

A new study by the Georgia Institute of Technology examined the effects of gossip in the modern workplace, and the researchers reached the following conclusions:

• Gossip is “all-pervasive” and is common at every level of an organization.
• Low-level employees play a lead role in circulating gossip throughout the entire hierarchy.
• Directors and VP's are the most likely to spread gossip both up and down the chain.
• In-house lawyers (ouch) are the next most likely to spread gossip downward.
• The sent email folders of some CEO's contained 100 percent gossipy emails.
• Gossip is as frequent in personal communications as it is in formal ones.
• Emails targeting a smaller audience are more likely to contain gossip.
• Some employees are constant “gossip sources,” while others are merely “silent readers.”

Clearly, gossiping among colleagues is a sign of an unhealthy work environment where politics and personalities are getting more attention than the task at hand. Gossip unleashes negative energy and manipulates people into taking sides when no such action is necessary or beneficial.

Whether it’s coming at us, or coming from us, gossip can have a negative effect. It can not only damage working relationships, but take down an entire organization.

WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

Gossip and negative language can be significantly reduced when employees and leaders advocate against it and invest in cultivating a happier, healthier workplace for all.

We at WordEffect are industry leaders on the topic of Gossip and The Power of Words and can help you combat workplace gossip and bias-based judgments. We can assist in arming your organization with helpful tools to reduce the negative language that is counter-productive to a happy, thriving workplace environment, and your company’s bottom-line.

For a business to flourish, all elements must be supported and maintained.

We provide our clients with pertinent information through convenient and effective 1-hour on-site presentations. We come to you!

Advantages of our in-house wellness program are:

• The elimination or reduction of employee travel costs
• Minimal disruption of employee's schedules
• The ability to teach your team in a private setting
• The opportunity to maximize your budget through lower overall training costs.

BENEFITS OF change

Understanding the true nature of gossip, and implementing strategies to avoid it, will change and improve the nature of your business relationships - even the time-tested bonds with your friends and family. Reducing gossip in the workplace can yield significant benefits:

• Decreased anxiety, drama and conflict
• Decreased depression and job burnout
• Increased trust and company morale
• Effective team building
• Increased productivity
• Increased enthusiasm and job satisfaction
• Lower attrition rate
• Increased self-respect, and the respect from others
• Increased personal and professional fulfillment

be proactive and Take action now!

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