Gossip is part and parcel of life, but in the office environment it does nothing for morale. Trying to create an office which has zero gossip is probably going to be tough, but you can do your very best as a manager to cut down on damaging office politics and gossip, which could determinately affect the productivity of your office space.
Standing around the reception counter having a conversation about something which isn’t related to work is not only upsetting for those who are being talked about, but also looks extremely unprofessional to visitors who may be entering or waiting in the office space.
So, how can you minimise gossip? Being open and honest with your employees about any issues or conflicts in the office space is vital, because this stops talking behind closed doors or gathering around the stand height tables to overthink everything and speculate.
Much of the time, small issues are blown out of all proportion, and this can cause anxiety for employees.
If you notice that a situation is becoming excessive, it’s also a good idea to gather everyone around the conference table or the breakout space and mention the issue. Highlighting a gossip problem is often enough to “shame” people into stopping doing it!
Have you had to deal with an office gossip problem in the past?