Gossip Galore

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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