ALT-2 How to Cope with the Office Gossip
Every workplace has its fair share of problems and specific issues that either, make it a great place to work or not such a great place to work. Nothing poisons the atmosphere of a workplace faster than gossip. Gossip infects the environment and erodes the foundation of trust that makes the work setting stable.
Gossip is problem that almost every workplace has to deal with. Gossip is not a gender issue because it is spread by both men and women. Gossip is not a specific cultural issue because nearly every free society is plagued by gossip. Gossip is an issue that impacts society as a whole and affects people around the globe.
Before anyone can cope with gossip, they must first understand some simple realities about gossip and the people who start or spread gossip. Here are some basic facts about gossip.
Things to remember about gossip
Words contain power
How often do people misuse their words? Each day there are people who simply forget that their words have power. Too often people forget that the tongue has the power to build up or destroy, the power to lift up or tear down and the power to heal or to hurt. Words carry meaning and communicate with others.
Gossip spreads like wildfire
Gossip has been compared to a raging fire that cannot be controlled. Nothing spreads through an office faster than a juicy bit of gossip. Once words exit the mouth, they begin to spread quickly and easily. Careless words are some of the most damaging things that people create. Why does gossip spread so quickly? People are drawn to negative things. How often do people listen to news about scandals? How often do they listen to news that dismisses scandal? The truth is that most people cannot resist hearing and repeating negative things.
Understand the pain gossip causes
Gossip is like slapping someone without actually striking them. Gossip is an aggressive attack using verbal assaults and emotional attacks. The reality is that gossip inflicts pain on other people. The moment that a person begins to speak wrongly of another; damage is caused. How many reputations have been ruined by careless words? How much harm has been caused by false accusations? How many lives have been affected by someone's "slip of the tongue"?
Things to remember about people who start or spread gossip
Emotionally wounded people will strike out at others
One of the major reasons that people create suffering for other people is because they are wounded themselves. Think about nature for a moment. A wounded animal is incredibly dangerous to encounter. Why is this? A wounded animal does not care who knows and feels their pain. The same is true of human beings. The emotional wounds that are inflicted on them will often return to wound others.
Gossip is like a disease
Gossip can be compared to an addiction or a disease. People are almost pathologically bound to the act of gossip. There are individuals who speak badly of other people as easily as some people breathe. There seems to be no concern about the destructive nature of words. The problem is that many people have never experienced positive role models in this matter. Exposure to gossip and negative speech starts at an early age and carries on through adulthood.
Gossip steers people in the wrong direction
How often have people been led in the wrong direction because of gossip? Gossip will often direct people into a wrong mode of thinking. The moment that the mind is infected by gossip, it is steered in the wrong direction
How to cope with the office gossip
1. Stop allowing gossip to spread through you
The problem in most work environments is that good people are remaining silent. The power of gossip is allowed to continue and it remains a source of conflict. The time has come for someone trase]=How to cope with the office gossipTweet
