How can I handle office rumors?

The office is a prime place for rumors to surface. Sometimes, ignoring rumors is the best course of action, but other times you have to find a way to handle those rumors.

Tutorial

There’s nothing like a bit of gossip to get the rumor-mill running at full speed. And there’s nothing like a few good rumors to create dissention in an otherwise harmonious atmosphere. There are several ways to handle office rumors, depending on your role in the office and the overall attitude of office personnel.

The first option is to ignore the rumors. Often, rumors will run their course over a specific period of time and die out naturally. Attempts to address rumors will sometimes provide more fuel for the rumor-mill, prolonging the life of the office rumor far past the time it would have been forgotten.

Another option is to address the rumors. Depending on what the rumor is, whether there’s any truth to it, and your role in the company, you may be in a position to put rumors to rest. For example, if there are rumors of a layoff or other situation that directly impacts workers, it’s easy to understand how people become concerned about the issue. If there is no truth to these rumors, you can address them and allay the fears of employees.

If the rumors are of a personal nature, the situation becomes more delicate. Often, only the person being talked about is in a position to declare the truth of the stories, and being forced to face an issue could damage the person’s reputation in the company. In this case, those in positions of power have to decide whether it’s more prudent to allow the rumors to run their course or give a generic warning that the gossiping about the situation is to stop.

You have to remember that office rumors are a natural part of the socialization of many office environments. Employees are people and some people demand drama – whether it’s based on truth or not. Control of office rumors is usually just as natural and will be taken care of without intervention.