How to make office gossip your ally

Posted On 25 Jul 2023

How to make office gossip your ally

25 Jul 2023

Candidate Resource, Employer Resource, Interview Tips, On The Job, Popular Culture

Everything in our work world is upside down, inside out, and reversed. Yesteryear’s good practice slides off the podium of popularity to be questioned and reviewed—as it should be. The last few years taught us to view life through a different prism, and workplace flex now polls first and foremost as the new way of working.

Flexibility has progressed beyond the “anywhere, anytime” button. A flexible outlook and mind are nonnegotiable in all aspects of work—if you want to remain relevant, that is. Outdated policies and procedures to the bin and shred! So too, are myopic views, assumptions, controlling ideologies, and those stubbornly held misbeliefs.

As we explore and open our mind’s eye, we turn to the once deemed not-so-desirable practices. First, we readjusted our sight on entitlement and self-promotion. Now office gossip is in the spotlight as the workplace’s latest ally. Much maligned in days gone by but now rising from the ashes, office gossip could be your organization’s savior.

The fallout of flex

In 2016, Australian census data suggested just 5% of employees worked from home. Now 96% of knowledge workers are either fully remote or hybrid working. It comes at a cost, though. The year ending February 2022 saw 9.5% job mobility—the highest rate since 2012—with the share of mobility, highest for professionals, at 22%. According to Gallup’s 2022 State of the Global Workplace Report, employee engagement is just 21% worldwide. It also found stress among professionals has reached an all-time high, higher than in 2020.

Gossip and flexible working

Gossip is an informal way of sharing information. Whether we like it or not, gossiping builds trust, engagement, and relationships. No matter the level or elevation in our career, we have all played a part in office gossip. It’s human nature. Sharing smart information reduces stress and can even provide entertainment. That can’t be that bad for business. At its core, though, it is a platform for employees to feel listened to and heard.

It is also primal. According to evolution theory, humans developed gossip to facilitate group cooperation. It helps to warn of threats, spread information, and control undesirable behavior. Unsure of decisions, policies, press releases, new appointments, or anything that causes uncertainty, those conversations, seeking to understand and source information, provide job and psychological security. Never, in our post-pandemic world, has this been so missed.

 

Rebuilding social capital

As we work more disjointed and disconnected, gossip has disappeared from our daily workplace interaction. Those clandestine watercooler moments, snatched snippets of communication to and from meetings, and shared taxi commutes all served a purpose. It’s instinctive and healthy, providing security, information, understanding, and a sense of belonging.

Human Resource leaders cite communication and upholding company culture as becoming “very challenging” with hybrid and remote work. The answer isn’t to mandate working back in the office because it’s good for business. It must be good for your employees. Some 84% of employees would be motivated by socializing with coworkers and 85% by rebuilding team bonds. Additionally, employees report they would go to the office more frequently if their “work friends” were there.

So, create opportunities for healthy office gossip. Connectivity and social engagement are all-too-important cultural pulls.

The alternative?

Assumptions. Working at a distance, we miss out on the full human interaction. At best, we have facial expressions navigating our understanding, but not the necessary body language for full interpretation. Excluded are all those other daily interactions that serve to counterbalance whatever is floating in our mind, consciously or not.

At its worst, we may deal with the insidious side of office gossip. Using emails, texts, etc. to convey frustration can easily escalate. Without the interjection of conversation to change direction, influence, and balance, words and tone quickly spiral. Not too dissimilar to keyboard warriors or Twitter trolls, we must be mindful of gorilla gossip.

 

Gossip as your ally

During such constant workplace change, our employees need greater connection. For those leaders looking for a higher office representation, seek ways for your employees to connect, gossip, or otherwise. Allow concerns to be discussed and, at the same time, provide up-to-date communication and avenues to access information.

Identify the key influencers and make your environment conducive to bringing up uncomfortable or confrontational issues. Encourage and reward those who ask the nagging questions at team meetings and even town hall events. The discussions have already occurred tenfold and will continue.

Creating freedom of expression as a cultural norm and implementing it as a workplace strategy to understand your employees better provides a strong company competitive advantage.

 

Originally published by www.fastcompany.com

About the author
Roxanne Calder
Managing Director

As Founder and Managing Director at EST10, Roxanne has an all-encompassing role that includes building and growing the business, as well as actively recruiting and consulting.

After completing a Bachelor’s Degree at Monash University, Roxanne began her recruitment career with renowned recruiter Julia Ross. From there, Roxanne worked in HR and recruitment with a number of global players and boutique businesses throughout Australia, the UK, Singapore and Hong Kong for over 20 years. She has been responsible for managing large teams and projects, implementing RPO models, managing and assisting businesses to an IPO and assisting companies in setting up their recruitment teams and processes.

Following completion of her MBA at the Australian Graduate School of Management, Roxanne launched EST10 in July 2010. In doing so, she hoped to combine the flexibility and high touch service levels of boutique agencies with the structure and strategy afforded to larger firms. Roxanne believes in high-touch, high-care consulting and is always on the lookout for consultants that share this vision of recruitment.

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