Gossip in the Workplace: How to Spot It, Stop It, and Shift Culture

Event Type

Webinar

Sponsor

HRDQU

Date

Sep 10, 2025   1:00 - 2:00 pm  

Speaker

Marsha King

Registration

Click here to register.

Contact

Joseph Meeker

E-Mail

jlmeeke2@illinois.edu

Phone

217-300-6568

Views

3

We’ve all encountered the “gossip” at work. The person who seems to be the center of information and doesn’t mind sharing this information with others, disguising it as venting or simply sharing casual information. While this may seem harmless, the reality is that gossip in the workplace is a destructive behavior that can erode a culture, create chaos, damage relationships, reduce productivity, and much more.

The trap: Gossip in the workplace can become a habit or the norm for many of our conversations. Once it starts, it’s a slippery slope that can lead us to getting stuck in a cycle of misleading information with the potential to harm those being discussed. It can lead to labeling someone inaccurately or create rumors that damage reputations.

The appearance of the harmless nature of gossip is what is most destructive about it. It’s easy to get involved, even if you try to avoid it. It’s also easy to ignore it if the target isn’t in the room and doesn’t know it’s happening. Being prepared to identify and manage gossip in the workplace is key to stopping it from causing harm to people and the organization.

Join us to tackle gossip head-on. You will learn about what gossip is, who it impacts, how it impacts them, and strategies for detecting and managing it. Through interactive small group discussions, you will explore the nuances behind this behavior and why people do it. You will also walk away with a list of gossip behaviors that can be used to assess your own tendency to fall into the gossip trap.