| When you hear the words, "I heard it
through the grapevine", do you sing along with Gladys Knight and the Pips? Or Marvin
Gaye? Both recorded the song originally produced by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
Each put their own twist and sound on the music written by
Norman Whitfield and Barry Strong.
If you "heard it through the grapevine" in your
company, be aware that just like Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, and Marvin Gaye who all
put their individual stamp on their music, so does the person feeding gossip through the
office grapevine.
When you, as a leader, hear something through the office
grapevine, don't believe everything that was said. When I was young and had my ego damaged
by remarks from classmates, my mother would say, "Take it with a grain of salt"
which meant to only believe half of what you heard and do some investigating to determine
what part of the salt had lost its savor and needed to be thrown out.
As a leader you can prevent damaging gossip from running
rampant through your organization by:
1. Having one-on-one sessions with employees. Frequent
conversations with your direct reports that are open, honest and address their issues in a
candid manner are extremely effective in dissuading gossip.
2. Proactively scheduling "anti-gossip" sessions.
You would not advertise, "Hey, come to my anti-gossip session" but by regularly
sponsoring group meetings where you address complex issues and the myths that are
circulating does wonders to stop untruths. Some of the areas that are particularly
vulnerable to gossip are:
- Uncertainty about the future of the company. In tough
economic times, nervous workers can become negative very quickly unless you have regular
meetings that keep them updated on the status of the company. Don't forget to ask them for
solutions on cost cutting, new growth, etc. Ninety-nine percent of the time, they will
have great ideas that are not obvious to management.
- Loosing benefits and retirement security. Wage reductions,
benefit cutbacks, and retirement decreases are frightening to employees. By sponsoring a
'Lunch and Learn' with a financial expert, you can promote an open dialog about financial
options.
3. Addressing individual work paradigms. Some employees
feel they have excessive workloads. Others feel bored and not challenged by their work.
Getting to know your employee's attitudes about their work can help you individualize your
responses to work conditions that spawn rumors and spread negativity. Other work areas
that feed the rumor mill are:
- Pay raises. Be mindful of the employee who believes that a
lesser qualified coworker received a sizeable salary increase and they were overlooked.
That employee will gossip to as many people in the organization who will listen to them.
The issue is better discussed in private with you.
- Promotions. The sibling of pay raises is promotions. Most
companies have limited promotion slots. When two excellent employees apply for the same
promotion, the employee not getting the promotion requires special attention. Perhaps an
assignment to work on a plumb project would alleviate disappointed feelings.
Applying these ideas for handling potential gossip problems
can reduce employee distraction with rumors and focus workers on completing their work. |
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Karla Brandau, CEO of Workplace Power
Institute, is an expert in leadership, employee engagement and workplace productivity. She
offers keynotes, workshops, and retreats to move your organization forward in the chaotic
environment of the 21st Century. To bring Karla to your next meeting, email karla@workplacepowerinstitute.com
or call 770-923-0883 for a free consultation or to check the availability of dates.
Go to www.WorkplacePowerInstitute.com
for free articles and visit her blog at www.FromTheDeskofKarlaBrandau.com.
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