As an executive, a good new year’s corporate resolution would be to dramatically reduce the organisational atmosphere that fosters workplace gossip.
Often the employee or employees who control the most communications hold more power than the boss.
As we close 2021 and prepare to usher in 2022, many Business Daily readers undoubtedly have turned their attention to pondering new year’s resolutions. Some may then choose specifically to tackle their propensity to listen to or spread office gossip in their resolutions.
But as an executive, a good new year’s corporate resolution would be to dramatically reduce the organisational atmosphere that fosters workplace gossip.
Look for other communications pitfalls in your company. Communications create power for whoever uses it.
As the CEO, you might think that you wield the most power in the firm because you legitimately hold the power. Unfortunately for you, often the employee or employees who control the most communications hold more power than you as the boss.
Realise that there exists two types of internal communications: official and unofficial. Official internal communications often come from the CEO and public relations or human resource departments. Unofficial communications come through office gossip.
Managers should watch out for excessive office gossip. If you, as the company’s leader, withhold information or do not share enough data about what is happening in the firm and where the organisation plans to go in the short and medium-term, then your employees will fill in the blanks with their own stories.
As humans, we are a phenomenally smart species. We are curious, forward-looking, and search for information. Supplying adequate amounts of official communications helps employees remain up-to-date on company happenings which then reduces employee stress and fear that could otherwise lead to copious amounts of office gossip, all while also boosting your leadership power.
But a smart executive should ask how does one investigates the effectiveness of internal communications? Survey your employees quarterly. In your surveys, do not ask simple yes or no questions.
Ask questions where employees may rate the communication effectiveness on a scale of 1 to 7. Then ask open-ended questions: “what did you find particularly useful in our communications during the past quarter”, etc.
Next, how do you track office gossip? Survey employees on two more fronts. First, ask employees to list the top three other employees who they talk to on a regular basis. Second, ask employees to list the top three other employees who give them the most updates, informal or formal, on happenings within the company.
Hopefully, the employee’s own manager should be among those listed. If not, you need to coach your departmental managers to communicate more.
Also, map out the responses from the surveys. Try to notice patterns. If, for example, an office driver seems to appear as the most frequent communicator in your whole company, then that driver actually carries the most weight of power in the company.
The driver’s opinion becomes the opinion that sets the mood for the whole company. He or she may uplift or bring down the firm’s work ethic and other employees’ feelings of commitment to your company.
When employees feel worse about where they work, they do not work as hard, and such behaviour results in lower company performance. Inasmuch, such power in the hands of an inappropriate communicator is dangerous to the success of your firm.
Famed social and business psychologist Ron Burt refers to such communication mapping as network structure theory. It presents a powerful tool for leaders to control the appropriate flow of information and improve company performance.
Once you identify the workplace gossips, then you need to deal with them promptly. You could warn them informally or formally, reassign their work duties, or fire them outright.
You cannot wait and see if the situation changes. You must take action immediately. Allowing workplace gossip to continue and thrive unabated functions like cancer in your firm.
In summary, take internal office communications seriously. Empower your employees through open communications, but beware of office gossips that destroys organisational effectiveness.
