Silencing Marites
ASIDE from eating, one of the favorite pantry pastimes in the workplace is talking about other people. So much so that gossipmongers today are called Marites, short for “Mare, narinig mo na ba ang latest?” And while there is nothing diabolically wrong with talking about other people, it becomes destructive when taken to the extremes, like making up stories about another person or making assumptions about other people’s work.
Gossiping cannot be avoided but as a people manager, you need to know how to handle it before it becomes damaging. If not addressed properly, it will negatively affect your team’s productivity because of poor morale, or even escalate to malicious harassment that could lead to low engagement and even high employee turnover. To manage gossip and avoid its negative effects in the workplace, below are some things you can do.
To prevent people from gossiping about each other’s work, provide clear directions and guidance on your team’s workload. This will leave no room for your team to make up stories about each other’s work, or even about your own workload. This is especially true when there are changes in the office and your team needs to adjust quickly. You need to know your team’s questions so you can address their concerns as clearly as you can, and provide detailed instructions on how to move forward.
Keep an open ear to questions and address them as comprehensively as you can. Being transparent is an effective way for you to stop people from churning out stories in the rumor mill.
On regular workdays, ensure everybody knows what they need to do and what everybody else is doing. One of most common sources of office gossip is when people do not understand what other team members are doing and they end up criticizing or making fun of other people’s work. When people have an overview of what other team members regularly do, friction and comparing work is minimized or even eliminated. This reduces the need to gossip about other people’ work or work habits. When the team understands how they individually contribute to the team’s success, it becomes easier to think for the team rather than think as an individual contributor.
When someone is sharing gossip with you, ask the person to stop sharing it—whether or not it is verified. If you know about the issue, respond by explaining how it will affect your team but limit the information to protect the privacy of people involved. If you do not know the issue, refrain from making any comments and then try to resolve the issue when the people involved are your team members. Otherwise, work with your human resources department for appropriate action when members of other departments are involved. Then, meet with your team to clarify what the issue is all about and how it will be resolved. The more you keep silent, the more people will harbor ill feelings especially if the gossip is malicious in nature. It is important that you address gossip clearly and in the proper channels, so your team understands you are aware of the situation and you are managing it.
Investigate the original source of the gossip and talk directly to the gossipmonger in private. Try to understand why the person is spreading rumors and identify what you can do to prevent the person from doing it again. Some people gossip because they were unjustly wronged, or the working environment prevents them from seeking remedy for their difficulties. Understand the motivation so you can properly address the root cause of why they gossip, and then develop mechanisms for preventing them from gossiping again. It is important for people involved to understand how their actions can damage working relationships or even make them criminally liable.
If there is one thing you need to be quick at saying, it is catching your people doing good. Ken Blanchard in his book One Minute Manager once said, “People who feel good about themselves produce good results, and people who produce good results feel good about themselves.” You can start a cycle of positive encouragement which can extend even beyond your own team. Once you catch your team doing good, tell others about what your team is doing well, and then encourage other managers to do the same. Ask them what their team has been doing well lately and pretty soon, you will have other people swapping success stories and improving each other’s morale.
Maintain a gossip-free environment by setting the example. Rumors should stop with you, and you should make it a point to speak well of others regardless of their position in the organization. Of course, you can talk about your team’s performance during deliberations, and you need to discuss it with them individually. But it should stay between you and your team members, and, in necessary cases, with human resources. Conversely, talk about your manager in positive terms. As a general rule, if you have nothing good to say, keep silent.
While you cannot absolutely prevent your team from gossiping, you can always find creative ways of stifling it without sacrificing their freedom of expression.
With proper handling, your team can enjoy open communication without having to look down on others, or making up stories just to feel good among themselves. Rather, they would see every opportunity to spur one another to every good work.