Filed under: spirituality
If you’ve ever worried that perhaps you spend too much time at the water cooler, read Gossip is Information by Another Name:
The word “gossip” has a negative connotation, but you could also call it strategic information sharing, counseling or mentoring, said Michael Morris, a research psychologist and professor of organizational behavior at Columbia Business School who studies social cognition.
As long as the information you’re spreading is not intended to hurt another person, it can actually be good for the company. Especially during times of major change, like downsizing or layoffs, gossip can be cathartic for employees, Professor Morris said.
I wrote something similar in Gossip in the Workplace and Hildegaard and Bartholomew: Subjects of Intense Gossip.
One of the best pieces of advice my Grandfather ever gave me was this.
He said, “When you’re working a job, no matter what is is, take my advice. Keep your EYES open and your MOUTH shut.”
Comment by Comrade Kevin 02.06.08 @ 6:52 pmIt sure is hard to avoid getting sucked in. I’ve been at my office for 7+ years, and I’m sure I was the subject of gossip at some point–how could anyone not be?–and in being so, I think about what’s being said when it comes around. I know that just as easily, it could be my name in the gossip instead of another’s.
On the other hand, as my Southern grandmother used to say, it ain’t gossip if it’s true. It is a good way to find out why so-and-so was fired or why they left, or if such-and-such is going to happen again this year, why or why not. Hearing gossip about someone doesn’t necessarily change my opinon of them 180 degrees, but it can give me some insight into a person’s behavior, and I’m not above mentioning gossip to them in an offhand way and asking for their take on it.
Comment by Mile High Pixie 02.10.08 @ 12:36 pmWhat I love about both of your comments was the priceless opinions of grandparents.
Comment by Ms. Theologian 02.10.08 @ 2:14 pmLeave a comment
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