Economic anxiety creates more eavesdropping and gossip at work
Filed under: Communication, Employee computer use, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views
Employees everywhere are afraid of job cuts — which creates new management issues for supervisors and HR. One of the toughest challenges: suppressing rumors about the company’s future.
Half of HR managers say gossip about layoffs and other cutbacks have become a serious problem at their companies in the past few months, according to a recent survey by the Society for Human Resources Management. One in four also say they’ve noticed employees eavesdropping on conversations among executives and upper management.
Snooping tactics uncovered include accessing confidential e-mails and listening in on closed-door meetings.
Eavesdropping and gossip can cause big problems, especially when false rumors and allegations begin to fly. What are companies doing about it?
About 20% of the HR pros surveyed said they’ve had to discipline an employee for spreading layoff rumors.
One strategy experts recommend: keeping communication as open as possible during a rough economy. If employees feel they’re being told the whole story by their managers, they won’t be as tempted to resort to sneakier ways of getting information.
