Do you partake in the “water-cooler” talks at work? I think nowadays, it’s probably “coffee” talks, but regardless, work is not a place for gossip. Remember, everyone is looking out for themselves so you should always be careful of what you say. You never know who might be around the corner listening! Once it’s out of your mouth, you really don’t have any control what can happen after that. Now, I’m not saying don’t have coworkers as friends, but you have to be very careful of who you trust and what you say. Just be cognizant that rumors can develop into something very negative for you in the workplace after being passed through the “grapevine.”
Staying productive is vital to anyone’s job security and success. Getting caught up in work rumors and gossip can only lead to distractions. With companies downsizing or trying to find cost cutting measures, the rumor mill can get fired up very quickly nowadays. Most of these work related rumors stem from fear, anxiety, or unhappiness…and while some notions are credible, others may not be.
If something seems to be causing a major stir in the office, I would suggest seeking out management and ask them. You could say, “I have been hearing this about the company’s future,” or “I want to ask about our job security, as I have heard…” By taking this route, you are being responsible and proactive. You are not involving yourself in the chit-chatter in the office. Rather, you are going to a resource that could have some valuable and accurate information about the situation.
You don’t want to be known in the office as the one that knows the inside personal details of everyone. You want to be acknowledged for your work, your attitude, your professionalism, and the ability to do your job well. It’s often a gray area deciding how to balance being overly social or not social enough with coworkers, but make an effort to steer clear of the office rumors and gossip. It can be fun and interesting at times to listen to, but there is no need to involve yourself in them. Keeping your job is your #1 goal at work, not being a talk show host!
Warning: call_user_func_array(): First argument is expected to be a valid callback, 'sociable_links' was given in /hsphere/local/home/thepinched/hiringwizard.com/wp-includes/plugin.php on line 395
Follow on Twitter
RSS Feed
Email updates