Hush Hush at the Workplace

by Maria F. Aldana — April 21, 2008

Gossip is hard to avoid - and can seem like harmless fun, but keep in mind that workplace gossip can alter a person's career. Peter G. Vajda, Ph.D.is Co-Founder of SpiritHeart, an Atlanta-based company dedicated to "Essential Well-Be-ing" for body, mind, and spirit. He identifies workplace gossip as a form of workplace violence, stating that it is essentially a "form of attack." But the damage doesn't stop at the gossip-ee, it can spill over into the career of the gossip-er. Workplace gossip can result in negative consequences such as:

• Decreased chances of gossipers' receiving a promotion due to unprofessional attitude.
• Damaged trust among coworkers
• Employees taking sides, which results in hurt feelings and bad reputations for both the rumor-spreader and the victim
• Excellent employees leaving the company due to unhealthy work environment
• Lack of motivation for victim to come to work due to embarrassment

Keep things at work copacetic and filter your catty remarks around the water cooler to just The Hills or the latest issue of US Weekly.