Terminating
an employee? Here's what you must consider before firing.
Gossip does not just run rampant in the office environment.
It is common everywhere. However, gossip does more damage in
some places than others. And gossip in the workplace can do
much harm to your employees' morale, their productivity and
even your company's reputation. You must tackle gossip in the
workplace properly so it does not lead to major problems.
Effects of gossip in the workplace
There are various negative effects that gossip has in the
corporate environment. But there are some positive effects
too. Some of these include as stress relieving, networking
and friendship building and sometimes it is believed to increase
efficiency too. Unfortunately, the truth is that gossip causes
more harm than good. Let's take a look at why this is the case.
First, if the gossip is about an individual worker, it can
cause much pain not only for that person, but also for their
coworkers. Depending on the rumors spread, other employees
may feel uncomfortable working with this person. This undercuts
all attempts at teamwork. Second, the employees who spend all
their time rumormongering are wasting the company's time and
resources when they should be doing productive work. Not only
does the company sacrifice productivity, but the victim of
this gossip may claim the company and its management have violated
their rights. If a lawsuit is filed, this wastes more company
resources. Finally, when the gossip revolves around the business
itself, it can cause the most damage. There have been cases
where a company failed because of constant rumors circulated
by employees and other internal sources.
Dealing with gossip in the workplace
Since gossip in the workplace can cause such problems, you
must confront this problem properly and try to minimize it
as much as possible. There are several ways to deal with gossip
effectively in the workplace. Unfortunately, gossip cannot
be entirely eliminated. It has always existed and it always
will. However, you can remove the negative nature of any rumors.
Strengthening the communication between the employees and
the management will help reduce gossip in the workplace. Make
rules that restrict gossips and firmly deal with rumormongers.
Motivate employees to increase cooperation and teamwork. Let
employees know you have access to their emails, as this is
a common way of spreading rumors. Finally, make sure your employees
have enough work so they avoid spending time gossiping. Nevertheless,
if you feel that none of these are working and the only solution
is termination of the involved employee, fire the employee
before he or she further harms your organization.
The
employer's guidebook to progressive discipline and employee
termination
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