Is workplace gossip just a painful fact of life? Is there a way to go beneath the radar with regards to coworkers and staff who base their life enjoyment discussing other people’s personal business? Is there a good model for reducing the amount of workplace gossip/reinforcing more pro social habits? Or is that just how people socialize? I realize that’s multiple forms of the question, but it is always something I think about working in a gossip culture.
Nothing you ever enforce on people will stop them from talking with one another. Some people like to gossip. I find it be largely inconsequential until the gossip turns into fomenting lies or targeted harassment but then that’s no longer gossip and is harassment and should be treated as such.
I’d say lead by example and don’t engage with it yourself. What I would not do is fundamentally alter your presence to accommodate the gossipers or to avoid being targeted or something.
This is a really good point. Avoiding being a target is hard for some people. Masking can be exhausting for them and it’s unfair. I want their environment to be more hospitable somehow.