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Ps-s-s-t! Have You Heard?
Gossip Harms Your Workplace
Gossip is never just "harmless speech". Gossip can reduce employee productivity, lower morale, increase distrust, harm coworker's reputations, and be the reason the best employees leave.
Harmful speech, like gossip, can be prevented, and managers play the important role in doing so.
First and foremost, managers can set an example by discouraging gossip and by refusing to participate in it. Even if you don't repeat gossip to another person, listening to it perpetuates it and gives silent permission for it to continue.
If you have an employee who always seems to be the source of gossip, meet with the employee privately, and explain the negative impact of gossip and that it will not be tolerated. Train the workplace on how to respond to gossip and how to avoid perpetuating it. Katie Newbold "Top 5 Ways to Treat Gossip in Your Practice" www.veterinaryteambrief.com (Aug. 2014)
Often, gossip can begin in the workplace when poor management and ineffective communication causes speculation about coworker behavior.
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Managing Risk
