We all love it and we all do it. But beware, if you’re prone to a bit of G-talk yourself, it could bite you back in the end

Gossiping may seem like a fun way to pass the day at work but it can have serious repercussions for both you and your colleagues, according to a recent survey by recruitment firm Office Angels.

Office gossip is rife in the British workplace with over 90 per cent of the 1,500 workers questioned admitting to spreading information on a range of topics from office romances to pay rises and promotions. Seventy-five per cent of office snitches said that they told their colleagues’ secret to at least two other people that same day because the information was just too juicy to keep quiet about.

Office Angels head of marketing and publicity, Sarah Eldoori, believes workers should be cautious when telling secrets in the workplace. She says: ‘There can be serious repercussions of betraying a secret at work. You should always ask yourself if you told someone something in confidence would you want them to pass it on. If the answer is no then you should respect their privacy in the same way.’

According to the survey one of the main reasons people tell secrets is that they want to be seen ‘to be in the know’. Others use it to be devious and manipulative and to demonstrate power. Says Eldoori: ‘People seem to be incapable of keeping a secret. We probably all know what it’s like – as soon as someone says don’t tell anyone, we have a burning desire to go off do exactly that.’

Hot topics
The most popular topics of office gossip are relationships, health and money with over half of the workers survey admitting that they had let slip personal information about their colleagues. Others used the office grapevine to vent complaints about their colleagues and 20 per cent admitted discussing promotions and pay rises. Thirty-seven per cent talk to colleagues about their plans to find a new job.

The ripple effect
Whilst gossiping about your colleague’s personal life can make you unpopular, divulging business sensitive information could affect your career prospects. Sixty-six per cent of company bosses would not trust an employee who shared company secrets and one in ten would issue a formal warning.

When Eve Smith, a call centre worker operative from Glasgow casually mentioned to one of her colleagues that she was interested in changing careers he promptly told her team leader. She says: ‘I’d only really made a throw away remark but my team leader told me he wouldn’t recommended me for a promotion because he thought I wanted to leave the company eventually.’ So the lesson is – it could pay to keep shtum.

The road to gossip is paved with good intentions
Over a quarter of workers had well-meaning intent when they disclosed a colleague’s secret while 13 per cent did not think it was a secret in the first place. ‘One of the workers we questioned was ill but didn’t want her bosses to know,’ says Eldoori. ‘One of her colleagues told her boss thinking she was helping out. The person who was ill became very embarrassed as a result.’

The do’s and don’ts of office gossip

• If you must gossip make sure your indiscretion won’t get either you or your colleague into trouble with the boss.
• An incredible 70 per cent of workers are shocked that their secrets are common knowledge in the office. Don’t be. If you gossip about your workmates the chances are they will gossip about you.
• If you are uncomfortable with a situation at work go straight to one of your superiors.
• If you’re bored, try filing your nails.

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