Comments on: How do you deal with gossipers at the workplace? http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/ Career and Job Advice Thu, 17 May 2012 15:13:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: oldernwiser http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/comment-page-1/#comment-1200 oldernwiser Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:18:25 +0000 http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/#comment-1200 When people have tried to gossip with me, I will say, flat out to their face, that I do not participate in gossip, and if they want to continue to gossip, they will need to find someone else to do it with. I will even call people on their gossiping if I walk down the corridor and overhear it (i.e., "Are you two gossiping AGAIN? Shame on you." and keep walking. I'm sure people at my workplace gossip about me, I'm the only liberal, atheist, Obama supporting person in the entire place. Personally, I don't care what they say about me. They know nothing about me and I have no real use for them. I would not choose to associate with even one of them outside the workplace. But I will not stand by and let them gossip about others who are not there. When people have tried to gossip with me, I will say, flat out to their face, that I do not participate in gossip, and if they want to continue to gossip, they will need to find someone else to do it with. I will even call people on their gossiping if I walk down the corridor and overhear it (i.e., “Are you two gossiping AGAIN? Shame on you.” and keep walking.

I’m sure people at my workplace gossip about me, I’m the only liberal, atheist, Obama supporting person in the entire place. Personally, I don’t care what they say about me. They know nothing about me and I have no real use for them. I would not choose to associate with even one of them outside the workplace. But I will not stand by and let them gossip about others who are not there.

]]> By: Sierra M http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/comment-page-1/#comment-1199 Sierra M Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:40:40 +0000 http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/#comment-1199 Well only one thing you really can do, scare them to the point of quiting, or at least keeping their fuckin mouths shut. for instance, there's this godless dickhead i work with, and his kids work there as well, just as godless as their dad,he had a habit of trying to stare me down, not a good thing to do to anyone, much less a young and rather aggressive soldier, so one day as he was sitting there at his machine, i came up behind him, grabbed the back of his chair leaning him back and quietly said in his ear that if he didn't quit his shit i was going to drag is sorry ass out to the loading dock, where there are no witnessess and stop on his head until it was a sack of torn flesh and bone fragments, the mother fucker and said a damn thing to or about me since,hasn'tt stared either.but if you don't want to go that route, cause personally I'm im lucky wasn'tsnt fired or charged with anything, id suggest simply confronting them, and if that doesn't work, keep at them, get them to swing at you, then stomp them into the ground Well only one thing you really can do, scare them to the point of quiting, or at least keeping their fuckin mouths shut. for instance, there’s this godless dickhead i work with, and his kids work there as well, just as godless as their dad,he had a habit of trying to stare me down, not a good thing to do to anyone, much less a young and rather aggressive soldier, so one day as he was sitting there at his machine, i came up behind him, grabbed the back of his chair leaning him back and quietly said in his ear that if he didn’t quit his shit i was going to drag is sorry ass out to the loading dock, where there are no witnessess and stop on his head until it was a sack of torn flesh and bone fragments, the mother fucker and said a damn thing to or about me since,hasn’tt stared either.but if you don’t want to go that route, cause personally I’m im lucky wasn’tsnt fired or charged with anything, id suggest simply confronting them, and if that doesn’t work, keep at them, get them to swing at you, then stomp them into the ground

]]> By: discreet black gentleman http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/comment-page-1/#comment-1198 discreet black gentleman Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:21:39 +0000 http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/#comment-1198 bugs, transmitters, listening devices, and recorders are cheap nowadays and are very tiny and easily concealed. hide a few of these where people tend to congregate and gossip (at water cooler, fav smoking area, etc). after you get incriminating evidence, email the person anonymously and send a copy (mp3, wma, etc) of the evidence. tell them to send you money (thru paypal to anon email or thru escrow account) or you will turn it over to corporate superiors and to the person being talked about. if they don't comply, bring the hammer down. this is a win-win-win situation: you make money, the gossiping idler learns a valuable lesson, and company morale is improved (no more gossip). hope this helps. bugs, transmitters, listening devices, and recorders are cheap nowadays and are very tiny and easily concealed.

hide a few of these where people tend to congregate and gossip (at water cooler, fav smoking area, etc). after you get incriminating evidence, email the person anonymously and send a copy (mp3, wma, etc) of the evidence. tell them to send you money (thru paypal to anon email or thru escrow account) or you will turn it over to corporate superiors and to the person being talked about. if they don’t comply, bring the hammer down.

this is a win-win-win situation: you make money, the gossiping idler learns a valuable lesson, and company morale is improved (no more gossip).
hope this helps.

]]> By: Crystal_Clear http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/comment-page-1/#comment-1197 Crystal_Clear Sat, 21 Feb 2009 23:03:50 +0000 http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/#comment-1197 One place that I worked at, was worse than being in high school. This was a professional place, and usually people handled the customers with a professional and courteous manner, but the interpersonal skills were at an all time low. I usually tried to ignore it the best I could, and if someone tried to share gossip with me, I would usually ask some sarcastic questions like "Why are you so concerned with blank's sex life" or "How did you find that out....were you there?" You get the idea. If someone gossipped about me, which it happened, then it depended on how bad the gossip was. There was this one time, my husband's ex wife worked in the same place as me....I'm sure you can imagine the types of things that went around from her, but I would just tell people to consider the source before they go believing everything she said about me. Another time, while I was off of work for an extended period of time for medical, there was an article in the paper about an arrest of a person with the same name as me, but much younger. The rumor was that it was me and I wasn't at work anymore because I was in jail, and that I no longer had a job....when I returned to work, they obviously realized it was untrue....but it was funny because people knew how old my kids were, and for me to be the age of the girl that was arrested, and still have had my children was physically impossible....but people were still believing it anyway....funny. Over all though, as long as it's nothing that effects my ability to do my job, I just don't entertain them with a response. One place that I worked at, was worse than being in high school. This was a professional place, and usually people handled the customers with a professional and courteous manner, but the interpersonal skills were at an all time low. I usually tried to ignore it the best I could, and if someone tried to share gossip with me, I would usually ask some sarcastic questions like “Why are you so concerned with blank’s sex life” or “How did you find that out….were you there?” You get the idea. If someone gossipped about me, which it happened, then it depended on how bad the gossip was. There was this one time, my husband’s ex wife worked in the same place as me….I’m sure you can imagine the types of things that went around from her, but I would just tell people to consider the source before they go believing everything she said about me. Another time, while I was off of work for an extended period of time for medical, there was an article in the paper about an arrest of a person with the same name as me, but much younger. The rumor was that it was me and I wasn’t at work anymore because I was in jail, and that I no longer had a job….when I returned to work, they obviously realized it was untrue….but it was funny because people knew how old my kids were, and for me to be the age of the girl that was arrested, and still have had my children was physically impossible….but people were still believing it anyway….funny. Over all though, as long as it’s nothing that effects my ability to do my job, I just don’t entertain them with a response.

]]> By: Ire Salam http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/comment-page-1/#comment-1196 Ire Salam Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:17:52 +0000 http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/#comment-1196 I would ignore them at first, but then if it continued and some of the thing you heard about other people could hurt their reputation, then I believe confronting them by saying their conversations in the workplace is not appropriate, and it they wish to "gossip" they should consider doing it where no one can hear them. And should you overhear someone saying someone false about you, take a deep breath and walk away! I would take a few minutes, take a day or even a few days, and think about what you are going to say, if anything. You might want to confront the one person who was talking and spreading the falsities privately, or you choose to write them a short note, saying that you heard something that was incorrect. Never say or do anything incriminating, something that will make you look bad or inappropriate. You don't want to lose your job over these shallow people, but it's ok to speak up. You didn't do anything wrong, just setting the record straight. If done right, it's appropriate and something you are completely entitled to do. Just don't get too emotional doing so. Remember, you're the bigger person and they are the little people! Outright lies are unethical. Good luck! I would ignore them at first, but then if it continued and some of the thing you heard about other people could hurt their reputation, then I believe confronting them by saying their conversations in the workplace is not appropriate, and it they wish to “gossip” they should consider doing it where no one can hear them.

And should you overhear someone saying someone false about you, take a deep breath and walk away! I would take a few minutes, take a day or even a few days, and think about what you are going to say, if anything. You might want to confront the one person who was talking and spreading the falsities privately, or you choose to write them a short note, saying that you heard something that was incorrect. Never say or do anything incriminating, something that will make you look bad or inappropriate. You don’t want to lose your job over these shallow people, but it’s ok to speak up. You didn’t do anything wrong, just setting the record straight. If done right, it’s appropriate and something you are completely entitled to do. Just don’t get too emotional doing so. Remember, you’re the bigger person and they are the little people! Outright lies are unethical. Good luck!

]]> By: Mr. P http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/comment-page-1/#comment-1195 Mr. P Mon, 16 Feb 2009 21:36:43 +0000 http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/#comment-1195 You could easily spread dissinformation. This would end up causing problems for them instead. It could be as easy as getting a bunch of flowers delivered to the office - with a card from someone you know is the husband of another gossiper - and let the fireworks fly. Or leave a fake final demand notice under the photocopier, or a packet from an std cream with the supposed patien't name on it in the toilets. Once they figure they're attacking each other, they may get the hint. You could easily spread dissinformation. This would end up causing problems for them instead.
It could be as easy as getting a bunch of flowers delivered to the office - with a card from someone you know is the husband of another gossiper - and let the fireworks fly. Or leave a fake final demand notice under the photocopier, or a packet from an std cream with the supposed patien’t name on it in the toilets.

Once they figure they’re attacking each other, they may get the hint.

]]> By: Billie http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/comment-page-1/#comment-1194 Billie Sun, 15 Feb 2009 22:14:29 +0000 http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/#comment-1194 The best way to respond to someone gossiping is to make an expression - a look of disapproval. They will notice it and probably will say what? or just get it and stop talking. If it will endanger your good reputation or influence how your boss views you I would address it directly to the person you know is spreading it around. If it isn't that serious, I would laugh it off and be flattered your life is so interesting that everyone is talking about it :O) The best way to respond to someone gossiping is to make an expression - a look of disapproval. They will notice it and probably will say what? or just get it and stop talking. If it will endanger your good reputation or influence how your boss views you I would address it directly to the person you know is spreading it around. If it isn’t that serious, I would laugh it off and be flattered your life is so interesting that everyone is talking about it :O)

]]> By: Molly http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/comment-page-1/#comment-1193 Molly Sat, 14 Feb 2009 14:58:23 +0000 http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/#comment-1193 my oh my I worked in a place like that and boy did it get old. I guess the best thing to do is ignore it. I wouldn't go blab what you hear because then you will be in the middle of it and that isn't a pleasant place to be. What I did was go hang around and work with the others who didn't gossip and didn't appreciate the gossip. I'm sure most of your co workers know that they are gossipers and probably don't believe most of what they hear so if something bad was said about you then don't worry about it. If you don't ignore it, you are only feeding into the problem my oh my I worked in a place like that and boy did it get old. I guess the best thing to do is ignore it. I wouldn’t go blab what you hear because then you will be in the middle of it and that isn’t a pleasant place to be. What I did was go hang around and work with the others who didn’t gossip and didn’t appreciate the gossip. I’m sure most of your co workers know that they are gossipers and probably don’t believe most of what they hear so if something bad was said about you then don’t worry about it. If you don’t ignore it, you are only feeding into the problem

]]> By: Sittingbythebeach http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/comment-page-1/#comment-1192 Sittingbythebeach Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:19:34 +0000 http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/#comment-1192 Keep your distance and don't tell them anything personal about you, otherwise they will talk about you. If they said something false don't worry, you know the truth and that's what counts. Don't give any opinions in front of them or they will gossip about you too. Keep your distance and don’t tell them anything personal about you, otherwise they will talk about you. If they said something false don’t worry, you know the truth and that’s what counts. Don’t give any opinions in front of them or they will gossip about you too.

]]> By: varona06 http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/comment-page-1/#comment-1191 varona06 Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:53:29 +0000 http://www.resumebutler.com/blog/how-do-you-deal-with-gossipers-at-the-workplace/#comment-1191 just ignore them soon or later they'll know they did wrong... just ignore them soon or later they’ll know they did wrong…

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