If you love a good gossip, you may find that it is doing more harm than good. There are many downsides to spreading the gossip around the office or between your friends. You need to stop spreading rumours or sharing secrets and here are some of the important reasons why.
People Won’t Trust You
If you keep spreading the gossip, nobody will trust you. You’ll get the reputation as the office gossip and people will come to you when they want to spread something or need to know about the latest rumour. You could end up helping people spread viscous rumours that lead to others getting fired. You may miss out on that promotion or find that your friends start to hate you. You could even find yourself out of a job.
You’re Damaging Reputations
Think about what you’re doing to the reputations of others. You could damage their chances for a promotion or even ruin their relationships with others. Is it really worth it just for a few words that you’re saying to someone else?
The next time you hear rumours, consider dispelling them to stop the damage to reputations. If you can’t stop them, at least prevent yourself being a part of the problem and tell the person who is the character in the rumour.
You’re Causing Trouble
Even if the rumour isn’t going to damage someone’s reputation, you’re causing trouble. You’ll get the reputation as a trouble maker, and it could cause some problems for you.
As people realise that you’re a trouble maker, they’ll want to stay away to avoid getting pulled into being trouble by association.
It Could Lead to Legal Action
Spreading rumours isn’t just a game. Your words could be considered slander and libel, which could lead to some legal action heading your way. It is extremely expensive trying to deal with these lawsuits, even if you are found innocent in the end. It does matter if you’ve said something or sent a tweet or email. It could all come back to haunt you legally.
People Are Hurt by the Gossip
You’re hurting other people in the office or your friends by spreading the gossip. What you see as being fun and silly, others see as being part of their livelihood.
It could be a funny rumour about someone liking a particular band or pastime, but that could lead to them being bullied or ridiculed by others. While the gossip isn’t damaging their relationship with others directly, it could lead to various social problems in the future and you’ll be the person they blame.
You’re Promoting Negativity in the Office
Office morale gets low when there is a lot of negative energy. It’s up to you to push against the negativity and promote the positive flow, and you can do that by stopping the gossip.
While you can’t control others, you can at least control yourself. Negative energy is also draining on you, as well as damaging the morale in the office.