Resisting the Urge to Gossip discusses a study that suggests that there are three ways to derail gossip in the workplace:
- change the subject
- target someone else
- pre-empt criticism with positive comments
Of course, you probably don’t want to target someone else with gossip, but it’s worth thinking about ways that have worked for you in the past.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Walking away distracted works too. Although people probably think I am a bit nuts, but I am ok with that.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:50 am
I think people probably get the picture though!
November 7th, 2009 at 7:57 am
All workplaces, as I’m sure you understand, are different and in a more or less functional one this sort of thing works much more effectively.
In dysfunctional workplaces, it’s hard to get away from gossip.
November 7th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Well, that’s an interesting point. If all you hear in a dysfunctional workplace is gossip, it’s hard to have many interactions outside of that.
And, at great risk, I should say that sometimes gossip is helpful. Just not the malicious kind.