Why Office Gossip Is A No-Go

By Kylie Exline on June 11, 2016

In the office, there is a tendency to become bored. We have all been there. You lack the desire to work, wish to go home ASAP, and end up discussing your co-workers as if they are non-existent, or not sitting directly in the cubicle next to you.

You should stay away from office gossip for various reasons. Even if it is technically good gossip, it is gossip nonetheless. This way, you are not a drama starter, your peers will like you, and you are sort of a decent person if anything. That is always a good thing.

To understand why to avoid office gossip, read below.

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You could get fired. 

The last thing you want to do is be fired. Unless you absolutely hate your job and refuse to quit. However, you usually want a job that pays the bills and that you sort of like.

You should avoid gossip so it does not end up getting back to the wrong person, a.k.a. your boss. This is not only the worst possible case scenario, but also a situation that you will not want to be in the middle of. At least if it were me.

Now, do not get me wrong, I am not 100 percent certain that you can legitimately be fired for this. But I would definitely recommend not getting involved. Plus, it looks way better if you report it to your superior, as opposed to taking part in it and encouraging the poor behavior. Be a bigger person, guys!

You could hurt your potential career path.

No one prefers to be considered a bad person. And if you do, then there is something certainly wrong with you. But hey, whatever floats your boat. But seriously, you do not want to be that guy that the office all collectively hates.

You should avoid the gossip solely because it is not really the nice thing to do. And we are all about being nice people in society. Right? Right.

This could end badly especially when considering your future career path. If you ever decide to switch jobs, a letter of recommendation would be super helpful and ideal. Get on your boss’s bad side, and this will not end in a nice manner. Prepare for your future, people.

Karma exists.

Alright, so maybe you do not really believe in karma, but just go with it. Like I said, you never know what the future holds, so always be on your best behavior.

If being decent is not a good enough reason, then think that it may come back to haunt you.

Discussing gossip is the wrong move because if you rat on someone, they are bound to want to get you back. Therefore you basically cannot do one small thing wrong without it being a ginormous deal that everyone and their mother knows about.

The thing also with karma is that if you are gossiping about a certain co-worker, chances are they are also discussing you and your mishaps — unless they refuse to get involved in such a thing, which should be your take on the situation. So learn from them.

Gossip gives you a negative attitude.

A main reason why you should avoid gossip in the office is because it is not only a bad look, but also will leave you in a negative mindset. And no one likes someone who constantly rains on their parade.

This will most likely venture off into other areas of your life eventually. What I mean is that work is a major part of your every day, as well as your life in general. It is another chapter in the book of your life. Who knew?

Plus, Negative Nancy’s are not likable, so if anything, this will not make having friends any easier. Gossiping just creates an atmosphere of unpleasantness and an environment where your co-workers probably will not want to befriend you. Allies are a good thing.

Although it can be uber tempting to discuss your co-workers just because you feel like it and do not feel like completing any work that you are actually getting paid for, it is not the best idea. Obviously.

You want to be someone that others feel comfortable working with, and if anything, just someone who brings positivity, not pessimism. You do not have to be the friendliest guy in the office, but you have to be better than the one everyone collectively hates.

Gossiping in the office is a bad call because it will most likely come back and bite you in the butt (cue karma), can label you as a bad person, potentially leave you jobless and in trouble, and even force you to have a negative, mean attitude. Basically, there are no pros coming out of this, so avoid, avoid and avoid.

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