Workplace Gossip, What’s an Engineer to Do?
Gossip, scuttlebutt, water-cooler talk, chit-chat. Call it what you will, but let’s talk about what you talk about at work. People gossip, and the more time you spend with your teammates away from the office, the more gossip you will hear. Workplace Gossip As the Oxford Dictionary defines gossip as the “casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.” Now, defining the word is nice and all, but let’s dive into some specific areas where we can apply it to our engineer careers. Sets a Precedent One of the unforeseen side effects of partaking in gossip is that it sets a precedent in your coworker’s mind. If they know they can talk to you about the ridiculous thing they just heard, they may come back to you to share even more. This could quickly spiral out of control and next thing you know you are playing therapist (but without the paycheck). When ‘shit gets real’ you have become the one person they go and unload. …