Let's talk about gossip

Gossip exists in every organisation. There is no getting rid of it. It's a natural part of human interaction and plays a significant role in shaping workplace culture.

Many leaders strive to eliminate gossip, seeing it as a disruptive force that undermines trust and productivity. This is understandable; it can lead to misinformation, feed anxiety, and damage relationships. However, attempting to eradicate gossip is not only unrealistic but overlooks the underlying human dynamics at play. Rather than seeing it as wholly negative, it's important to recognise its role in the social fabric of our organisations.

The role of gossip

Gossip is a form of sense-making. It comes from our inherent need to connect, share information, and understand our environment. At work, it's a way for us to build relationships, express concerns, and navigate the complexities of organizational life. It fills the gap left by formal communication channels, giving people a better sense of what's really happening in an organisation and where we fit within it.

Uses of gossip

• Strengthening relationships and creating a sense of belonging: Sharing stories and experiences helps develop a sense of community, an important aspect of a healthy workplace culture.
• Sharing information quickly can sometimes be beneficial when it reinforces important messages or highlights cultural norms and values.
• Bringing underlying issues to light. When gossip is about repeated frustrations and issues, it can be a powerful informal feedback loop and indicate areas that need attention from leadership.

Dysfunctional gossip

Yet, of course, we all know that gossip can have detrimental consequences if it goes unchecked.

• Damaging trust. Engaging in ongoing harmful gossip, particularly about individuals, specific groups, or teams, can create a toxic environment where people feel judged and unsupported, wedging a gap between people and enforcing a siloed culture.
• Spreading of misinformation: All too often, gossip can spread false or misleading information, missing the nuance or context of a situation and feeding a particular perspective that suits the individual or team. This can cause confusion, stress, and unnecessary conflict, undermining the ability to work collaboratively across differences.
• A distraction. Excessive gossip takes away from people's productivity and ability to focus on important tasks or situations that need support and care.

Working with gossip

So, what do you do if you feel gossip is fueling unhelpful behaviours and responses in your organisation?

• Regular updates and honest sharing. When people feel informed and included, they are less likely to guess and rely on gossip to fill in the information gaps. Leadership groups that promote transparency and are thoughtfully open about the uncertain, more vulnerable aspects they are working with can help to achieve this.
• Listen and address the issues that arise: If you're hearing stories that don't seem to be going away, there will be something to listen to, probe and understand more. Create opportunities for people to share their thoughts and opinions and proactively approach the challenges to prevent them from escalating. (Watching out for your attachments and biases in the process)
• Catch yourself feeding unhelpful gossip: If you notice yourself getting drawn into a particular perspective, pull back and question what else you might be missing. Demonstrate respect and curiosity, and role model the behaviours you'd like to see in the rest of the organisation.
• Pay attention to the quality of relationships. Invest in time for people to hang out and learn more about each other and the different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives we each bring. If this is done intentionally, it will help to limit people's feelings of intimidation and shame about differences, which can feed reactive and judgemental responses.

In a world where effective collaboration is more critical than ever, understanding and managing the nuances of gossip can be a powerful tool for leaders looking to build strong, cohesive teams and cultures.