What Can HR Do about Workplace Gossip?
HR Hero September 1, 2009 | COMMENTS Let’s face it. We’re living in a society that’s fascinated, if not obsessed, with the private lives of other people. As much as you may want to deny it, you know you’ve looked at the National Enquirer more than onceeven if it was just while you were waiting in the grocery store checkout line. You’ve also got to admit that you’ve even gossiped a time or two about people you actually know. But do you sometimes feel that you’re dealing with a bunch of middle-school students rather than a workforce made up of adults? Workplace gossip can cause a host of problems, not only for the individual employees involved but also for your organization as a whole. What, if anything, should you do about the gossipmongers among your workforce? Problems Created by Workplace Gossip If your employees are spending a significant amount of time gathered around the water cooler gossiping about their co-workers or your organization in general, they obviously aren’t working. I
