Bullying and Gossip At The Workplace

Normally people try to consider gossip at workplaces as idle banter which can be a great way to relive stress and liven up the day. However, the typical office gossip which normally serves as a great past time can turn malicious and targeted against a particular individual. Increasingly in offices and during conversations people are talking about others in a manner which can be highly critical, judgmental at times even demeaning.

Now if you are wondering how a harmless office gossip can change into bullying you need to look at the protagonists. In other words, closely observing the people who initiate gossips can give you an idea where the gossip is heading. For example if you have gossipmonger in your office who seems to have a habit of criticizing others, then there is good chance that the gossip may prove to be unhealthy.

As workplaces evolve the kind of gossips that take place in our offices are also changing and a distinctive negative trend is commonly noticed. In this era of modern technology where employees have numerous tools to quickly communicate with each other, a malicious rumor can spread within minutes. Some disingenuous individuals can easily use such medium for targeted bullying of a person against whom they hold a grudge.

Often people who float malicious gossips and indulge in such verbal forms of bullying tend to be insecure and seek recognition. Also it is quite possible that they think that they are not in control of their lives and try to blame others for their situation. So they try to take pleasure in bullying others and by putting them down by spreading rumors.

Now that you are aware of the detrimental role that gossip plays at workplace, you may want to know about ways to deal with it. Listed below are certain suggestions that may help the management to control unhealthy gossip

1. The first and foremost thing that management can do to keep unhealthy gossip out of workplace is though establishing regular get together sessions amongst employees who work together in a team. With a little bit of encouragement, a team can bond amongst themselves over any activity and  people who have grievances against other may see the better side of them
2. One should look to imbibe a system of open communication in the office and should not restrict communication through a hierarchical ladder.  When there is a lack of information, rumors originate which at times can be very unhealthy. For example if an employee gets promoted from amongst a group and the reasons for the promotion are not clearly specified, allegations of favoritism may arise and that person may experience a form of bullying from colleagues who may gossip in a demeaning manner
3. Identifying perennial gossipmongers should be a priority in case the management is able to sense uneasiness amongst certain people or have received complains. If possible one should look to transfer the bully to another department; however in serious cases a though enquiry and subsequent disciplinary actions may be needed.