Office gossip: A double-edged sword

In Bangladesh, gossip is a national pastime, both inside and outside the workplace. During tea breaks, or "cha breaks", employees gather to exchange the latest news, often drifting from work-related topics. A significant portion of time is also spent gossiping over the phone or through messages after office hours. Unfortunately, much of this chatter focuses on negative news. Here, there's a saying that negative news flies fast and sounds juicy because it makes the person engaged in the gossip feel superior or smarter.

In my last job at Robi, the senior management was alarmed by numerous business secrets being leaked. After some scrutiny, we discovered that a few "chatter cum smokers" among the senior leaders preferred to have their smoke and tea breaks at the kiosk downstairs, where company secrets like strategy and tactics became well known to the tea boy managing the kiosk. So, if you wanted insider info about your competition, you knew exactly where to go.

According to a study by the American Psychological Association, nearly 15 percent of work time is spent gossiping. This figure might be even higher in places like Bangladesh, where socialising is deeply embedded in the culture. A survey in Dhaka revealed that 60 percent of employees admitted to spending significant time gossiping during work hours, and 75 percent acknowledged continuing these conversations after work via phone or messages. Alarmingly, only 10 percent of this gossip was considered positive or constructive (Dhaka Tribune, 2023).

Gossip at work—who doesn't love a bit of juicy office chatter? Whether it's about who's dating whom or the latest managerial blunder, gossip is the unofficial glue holding many workplaces together. While some might clutch their pearls at the thought, everyone dabbles in it. And guess what? It's not all bad.

Gossip, by definition, is just informal talk about someone not present. Sure, it can bite, like when you find out a colleague from accounting thinks your presentation "sucks". But sometimes, gossip is another way of processing information and understanding our surroundings.

There's this thing called positive gossip. Think of it as spreading the good word, like when Azim from IT heroically fixes the server five minutes before a major crash. Sharing these pieces of heroism can boost morale faster than a Thursday evening email announcing early dismissal. And let's face it, it's much more fun to talk about someone's triumphs.

Then there's the dark side, harmful gossip. It's like the office equivalent of junk food—tasty but not necessarily good for us. However, it can sometimes shine a light on real issues. For example, when the whispered complaint about the coffee machine turns out to be the catalyst for finally getting a decent one. Plus, bonding over mutual frustrations can create an "us against the world" friendship that, oddly enough, strengthens team dynamics.

Let's not forget that while gossip has its pluses, it also has some significant downsides. For one, it can make your workplace a productivity black hole. Remember when you spent 30 minutes talking about Adil's third vacation this year? And then there's the problem of misinformation. Office gossip is like a game of telephone. By the time the story makes the rounds, it's completely changed, like your mild comment about Karim's newborn baby having a dark complexion turning into a wild story that the baby was not human but a crow.

So, how do we navigate this minefield without blowing up our careers or company interests?  Simple. Stick to positive or neutral topics. Share constructive and helpful things, like feedback, that can help someone get better rather than bringing them down. And remember the golden rule: if you wouldn't say it to their face, don't say it at all. Confidentiality is crucial, and knowing when to keep quiet is valuable in today's open-plan offices.

Gossip at the workplace is like fire; it can keep you warm or burn everything down. Use it wisely.

The author is the founder and managing director of BuildCon Consultancies Ltd