Let us start with a riddle:

Who am I?

I break hearts and ruin lives. I am cunning and malicious and get stronger with age. The more I am quoted, the more I am believed. Once I damage a reputation, it’s never the same. I make headlines and headaches. I spawn suspicion and grow grief. I maim marriages and kill careers. Even my name hisses.

Who am I?

The answer: GOSSIP

Workplace gossip is not always malicious and seems so harmless. It has often fueled by simple curiosity on the part of employees who are concerned about rumored changes at the company or about allegations regarding their colleagues. Whatever the motive, still the effects of workplace gossip are mostly negative, especially for the person who is the subject of the gossip. The only way to reduce the negative effects of workplace gossip is to help silence it.

Consequences of Gossiping…

• Hurts reputation
• Damages Credibility
• Destroys Morale
• Inhibits Productivity

Gossiper is a person who:

• Is lonely and scared who does not know how to ask for and receive what he/she wants so desperately… ACCEPTANCE
• Uses gossip as a sweet cover for all the failures and ugliness he/she carry within
• Doesn’t care about anyone’s feeling… even make gossips for his/her friends, families, and to everyone else to caught attention and sympathy

Minimizing or stopping the gossip

• When someone begins to gossip, remind him/her that you don’t want to engage in that type of discussion and change the subject. This sends the message to others that the behavior is unacceptable.
• If you are the target of gossip, you have two choices. You can confront the source or make a public statement. Remember, gossip has a very short lifespan. Sometimes, the best thing to do is let it run it’s (hopefully) short course. Creating a stink sometimes causes more drama than just letting it go

Remember, a flower cannot grow in soil that is not right for it. If you and your co-workers allow this type of behavior to continue without addressing and correcting it, you have contributed to creating fertile ground in which this person’s negative trait can grow and flourish.