I could go on with even more terms -scuttlebut, water-cooler news, and even the rumour-mill.
When does talking and sharing about ourselves and others cross the line from good-natured information to an environment that is can be defined as hurtful, bullying, and as a harmful activity that hurts one another and ourselves?
To understand the difference between the two we have to delve more deeply into our need to understand and engage one another one a level that transcends our work environment. It is interesting to note that “…gossip and the grapevine are often the fastest and most efficient communication channels with an organization.” (Ivancevich, et. al., 2011). We all can agree that this informal form of communication can be the quickest way that informaion is shared. It is interesting that gossip is considered is almost universally as a negative trait. 60% of gossip or comments fall into a category that “…clearly harbours negative connotations such as workplace bullying or character assasination” (Darmon, 2018, p. 1736).
I advocate that there can be an effective form of gossip. A type of gossip that lends itself to a greater understanding of eachother as individuals outside the workplace. It is a way that we can, in the post-CVID workforce, show interest in one another and at the same time seek some common ground outside of work interests. From a workplace perspective, “Via gossip, the company war stories and those stories that communicate a firms value can be told” (Ivancevich, et. al., 2011). How can you decide what gossip you can share? In a previous article, I share the concept of Socrates and his test of what is acceptable https://tinyurl.com/ykyajwvp
I believe small talk, especially in the post-COVID workplace, is more important now than ever.
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