Sunday, February 22, 2009

The Grape Vine and The Office


By now we all have been instructed to ignore the grape vine. The reasons are as obvious as day. The information from this source is often described as gossip, inaccurate and damaging to fellow employees. Despite these dire warnings from experts, the grape vine does have its place in the office.

Managers do not have to share every organizational decision with subordinates. Therefore it is their responsibility to stay informed. For example, learning that you will be responsible for a team member's assignment during their absence will provide you with ample time to prepare for additional work. Also, employees who have difficulty with child care could prepare in advance and arrange for childcare that will coincide with longer working hours.

Using the grape vine to one's advantage involves good judgment. Avoid the usual: rumors about your co worker's sexual orientation, who is sleeping with the boss etc as these can get you into serious trouble. Using the grape vine successfully will limit surprises in the work place. The less surprises you encounter, the more prepared you are to respond appropriately to changes in the office.

2 comments:

  1. we need to just stop the gossip. everything else is common sense.

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  2. Gossip does have its place in the workplace, in a commonsense world. If one is able to sift through the pile of information, some good can come out of it.

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