Rumors in the Workplace
Rumors in the Workplace “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive” (Sir Walter Scott). Rumors can be devastating to both a company as well as the employees in some cases even crippling the company itself. Most employees do not realize that is exactly what they are doing when repeating unsubstantiated comments. A rumor, by Webster’s definition, is an unconfirmed but widely circulated story or a piece of gossip. Once a company is faced with the rumor mill they have a choice to make. They may either acknowledge there is a problem, seek out a strategy, and develop a solution or they may choose to ignore the situation and allow it to fester. Each person from the CEO to the entry-level employee is responsible for his or her actions. There are many different causes for rumors. Most often they come about due to a lack of information or false perceptions. As Carol Patton states in her article Deal with Gossip, “if employees don’t know the truth, they will create their own truth and oftentimes, it’s a heck of a lot worse than reality”. Unfortunately this concept has been lost or overlooked by executives as well as upper management. Executives tend to be hesitant when addressing this issue and find it too much of a hassle to deal with.
When companies are in the middle of restructuring, merging, downsizing, or making personnel changes they have a tendency to keep certain information confidential. By being reluctant in disclosing the reason for the changes or sometimes even acknowledging them, the company is automatically ostracizing their employees. Most often employees are discouraged and deemed a troublemaker if they address this issue with upper management. This type of response causes employees to become frustrated and feel they have nowhere else to turn. This is an opening for the employee to read into the changes. Since “rumors tend to be based on some piece of fact” (Konstantin), they have all they need to make assumptions
When companies are in the middle of restructuring, merging, downsizing, or making personnel changes they have a tendency to keep certain information confidential. By being reluctant in disclosing the reason for the changes or sometimes even acknowledging them, the company is automatically ostracizing their employees. Most often employees are discouraged and deemed a troublemaker if they address this issue with upper management. This type of response causes employees to become frustrated and feel they have nowhere else to turn. This is an opening for the employee to read into the changes. Since “rumors tend to be based on some piece of fact” (Konstantin), they have all they need to make assumptions
Bibliography: HR Comply Newsletter Abstracts Rumor Has It (2008) hrcomply.com Retrieved on 6/11/2008 from http://www.hrcomply.com/newsletter/092204/7.html This newsletter is outlining the definition of a rumor Konstantin. In the American Public Workplace (2007) hubpages.com Retrieved on 6/11/2008 from http://hubpages.com/hub/RUMORS_AND_CONFIDENTIALITY The author of this article is explaining how workplace rumors are most often based on facts Patton, Carol. Deal with Gossip (2006) wordscanheal.org Retrieved on 6/11/2008 from http://www.wordscanheal.org/aboutus/kits The article addresses the Human Resource community