Gossip is good for you! New study says gossiping at work can actually IMPROVE cooperation and trust
- Gossiping at work can have a positive impact and foster a sense of belonging
- It can also lower attrition rates and increase productivity
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Whether you and your work bestie send each other DMs throughout the day (because you don’t trust that your email or direct messaging apps aren’t being monitored) or you love to indulge in water cooler moments to find out the latest happenings with your colleagues, gossiping at work can take on many forms.
In its most innocent iteration, gossip can be a bit of harmless fun, and a recent study has found that it can actually act as a positive attribute in the workplace.
Researchers found that positive gossip can be empowering for employees, lower attrition rates, and increase a sense of belonging
In fact, the researchers found that positive gossip can be empowering for employees, lower attrition rates, and increase a sense of belonging.
A separate study found that gossip can influence behaviour and foster cooperation between people by increasing social affinity, as people are more likely to rely on gossip than direct observation when forming opinions about others.
Essentially, people are more likely to believe what they hear than what they observe themselves.
The power of positivity
The main point to note is that gossip is only good for you when it’s positive in nature, doesn’t do any reputational damage, and doesn’t veer into b-word territory.
Instead, think about how you can use the information you glean about other people you work with—their behaviours, their habits or their way of problem-solving—to your advantage when it comes to tackling work tasks or projects.
For example, if someone has demonstrated their highly-organised personality by detailing how they organise their kitchen cupboards or wardrobe, they’re probably the best person to go to if you need help with organising an event or tackling a tricky piece of research that requires meticulous attention to detail.
Or perhaps one of your colleagues has shared that they are always the one in their friends group who is tasked with arranging and booking group holidays or group dinners.
This could demonstrate leadership qualities along with the ability to effectively manage the expectations of a large group of people, and ease tensions, something that can be easily translated when dealing with various stakeholders across a business.
If there is a deeply-ingrained culture of toxicity, you won’t be doing yourself or your career any favours by joining in, however tempting it may be
Toxic tales
However, it’s worth bearing in mind that not all gossip in the workplace is created equal and if you find yourself engaging in negative gossiping sessions, or there is a deeply-ingrained culture of toxicity, you won’t be doing yourself or your career any favours by joining in, however tempting it may be to let loose and express how you really feel.
In actuality, a toxic workplace has been found to leave employees feeling less motivated, disengaged, with lower morale and as a consequence, 20 per cent less productive.
So how can you ensure that you don’t get sucked into workplace toxicity if you have an inkling that the office gossip has taken a less wholesome turn?
One of the best ways to insulate yourself from toxic behaviours is to practice what you preach—literally and figuratively—by fostering gratitude and appreciation among your colleagues.
Research from the Mental Health Foundation has found that acts of kindness can boost feelings of confidence, happiness and optimism, and have the ability to encourage others to mimic kind behaviour, which contributes to a more positive atmosphere.
This can be as simple as offering to help out on a project that isn’t technically within your remit but desperately needs another pair of hands, taking the time to write thank you emails if someone has helped you with something, or even popping the kettle on, and offering those on your team a cup of tea.
Or why not detox from toxic behaviours entirely. It can take as little as 18 days to break a habit, so going cold turkey and keeping your lips sealed could be all that it takes to make a meaningful change.
