Gossip is a common occurrence in workplaces, often seen as a way to pass the time. However, these conversations may have a bigger impact on our work relationships than we think. The effect of gossip can be positive or negative, depending on how the person hearing the gossip interprets the intentions of the gossiper.
Workplace gossip, which is informal talk about colleagues who are not present, is often seen as unproductive or harmful. But recent research presents a more complicated picture. Some studies suggest that gossip can lead to friendships, while others say it can harm relationships. Our research shows that these conflicting findings may be due to a misunderstanding of the role gossip plays in shaping social relationships at work.
We focused on the people hearing the gossip and asked how they perceived these exchanges and what effect it had on their relationships with colleagues. We used three concepts to understand workplace gossip. The “exchange perspective” suggests that gossip connects coworkers through a give-and-take process, where information is shared in return for social support. The “reputational information perspective” looks at how gossip shapes the listener’s opinion of the person being gossiped about. The “gossip valence” refers to whether the gossip is positive or negative.
Our research examined how gossip affects the listener’s view of the person sharing the gossip. We collected data through written reports and interviews, which gave us detailed descriptions of how gossip incidents affected relationships from the listener’s perspective.
Our findings show that how the listener perceives the gossip is very important. If the listener believes the gossiper is being genuine and honest, the gossip can lead to a new friendship or strengthen an existing one. Interestingly, we found that negative gossip can be more effective at building friendships than positive gossip, as long as the listener believes the gossiper is being sincere.
If the listener believes the gossiper is sharing useful and accurate information for the benefit of others, trust increases and work relationships are strengthened. However, if the gossiper’s intentions are seen as self-serving, trust decreases and the chances of a friendship forming are low.
Our study shows that gossip is not just idle talk, but a valuable and potentially risky social tool. We often gossip without thinking about why we’re doing it, but our study shows that others pay close attention to our reasons for gossiping. As we can’t control how others interpret our intentions, it’s important to think carefully before sharing gossip.
