Page 107 - Anne Bruce - Building A HIgh Morale Workplace (2002)

The High Price of Low Morale 87

heard elsewhere. Explore how rumors are directly impact-
ing employee morale and then focus your energies in
those areas.

• Take what you hear seriously, but don’t react until you
know all the facts. Think about how you will respond
before you actually do.
• Campaign against spreading rumors with wit. Post on

your door, bulletin boards, or wherever a few quotes such
as the following:
– “Gossip is sometimes referred to as halitosis of the
mind.” —Unknown
– “Who gossips to you will gossip about you.” —Proverb

– “Conversation is an exercise of the mind; gossip is
merely an exercise of the tongue.” —Unknown
– “The things most people want to know about are usual-
ly none of their business.” —George Bernard Shaw
– “You can tell more about a person by what he says

about others than you can by what others say about
him.” —Leo Aikman
• Use rumors as a way to develop a keener sense about
what you need to do to be a better manager.
• If you get wind of a rumor you know to be incorrect, cor-

rect it immediately
and support your Two Rules for
information with Handling Rumors
facts. If you don’t 1. Almost all rumors

know the facts, get have some piece of truth associat-
ed with them, however small.
them.
2. If a rumor is repeated, you can bet
• Use the rumor mill.
there’s an issue that the people are
Occasionally you
talking about and care about. Don’t
might want to float ignore it.

your own messages
through the mill. For example, you may wish to send a
strong and forceful message that certain employee
behaviors won’t be tolerated, like carelessness about safe-

ty, lying, drinking on the job, or sexual harassment.