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What to do if someone is gossiping about you at work?
Eight Ways for Dealing with the Office Gossip
- Understand the difference between valid information and gossip. A friendly co-worker is perfectly within his or her right to give you a bit of background about others—so long as it’s professional.
- Nip it in the bud.
- Change the subject.
- Confront bad-mouthing people.
How can we stop negative office gossip?
The first step managers should take in stopping workplace gossip is to directly address the people spreading the gossip. This should be done in confidence so others cannot hear what is being discussed. Talk to the person and try to understand what is motivating them to spread gossip about another coworker.
How do you deal with backbiting at work?
Keep Silent. If you don’t like backbiting at work, don’t join in. Don’t contribute any negative stories, and don’t respond to anyone else’s hints that he has gossip to share. This is particularly important if you’re a manager, as employees take cues from you as to what’s acceptable behavior.
How do you manage office gossip?
9 Steps to Getting Rid of Gossip
- Enact ‘zero-tolerance’ policies on workplace gossip.
- Set an example.
- Let the boss know.
- Address the perpetrators.
- If you’re a manager, meet with your team.
- Encourage positive gossip.
- Ignore the gossiper.
- Turn it back on the gossiper with a positive thing to say.
How do you deal with people who gossip about you?
Set limits with gossipers. If you have to spend a lot of time with people who talk about you behind your back, keep them at arm’s length. Just because you have to be around them doesn’t mean you have to act like their best pal. Be cordial, but refuse to get close to gossipers.
What do Employees gossip about at work?
They speculate about the company’s future, whether coworkers will get fired, and what other employees are doing in their personal lives outside of work. In short, employees are capable of gossiping about anything—and they do—in a workplace that fails to manage gossiping employees.
What happens if you let gossip go unaddressed at work?
If gossip has not been managed in the past, gossip tends to become a negative aspect of your work culture. So, don’t let negative gossip go unaddressed. If employees are talking about other employees in a negative manner, it can have serious consequences.
How do you deal with a gossipy co-worker?
Engage the gossiper in a conversation that lets them air their real grievances and be understanding but firm in your responses. Maybe they are peeved that they missed out on a training or promotion opportunity; maybe they are annoyed that the victim of the gossip has a special work deal or work hours that they also want to have.