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Gossip Galore
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.
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