"Gossip is Gold, Except When It Is About You: How to Use and Not Let Gossip Abuse You or Your Company."
The Business of Furniture - 3/1/17 Edition
Stephen Says Column

Dear Stephen:

I love gossip! I am a firm believer in the old adage "where there's smoke, there's fire." Most rumors that go around my office eventually prove true, so why not get the information early. I know I should be ashamed, but I don't scuttle about looking for tidbits of news just for fun. I find it is also politically to my advantage.

In my office, talk travels faster than it moves through a group of suburban wives when someone's husband cheats on them with his secretary. We all know what everyone else makes, who may be up for a promotion, who may be getting the ax and even trivial stuff like who might get to attend a special event or trade show. If I follow the threads of these stories, while still concentrating on my job, I can separate the truth from the fiction and better work my boss to get what I want.

Surprising as it may sound, I am the shy quiet type. We do not even have an office yenta or shall I say, gossipmonger. People just don't realize all the information they dish out between their loud cell phone conversations and talking casually in the breakroom or restroom with their colleagues.

I have a couple of friends with whom I share some info, and some others share with their friends, and sooner or later everyone knows. Are my coworkers so dumb they don't know their business is in the open all over the office? And what about my boss? He is always talking loudly with his office door wide open, like anyone with ears doesn't care about what's going on in the company. Does my boss think we are not listening?

I love hearing this stuff and it has really helped my career, truthfully, but it seems like people just do not realize the type of information they are giving out anymore. Should I feel guilty about knowing all of this?

Gossip Goblin
 

---

Dear Gossip Goblin,

It is always the quiet, weasley ones that you have to keep an eye out for. I know your type, shy and unassuming, but just collecting stories to unload when the time is right. And good for you! As I wrote in my best-selling book "Bulletproof Your Job": Gossip is gold. You never want to be the company gossiper, but you always want to know all the gossip. And, God knows, the real number one rule is that you should never be the topic of the office gossip. You want to know who everyone is sleeping with, but no one should know what you do in your own time.

A good grapevine can certainly help you stay ahead of office politics, and, more importantly, it can help you stay out of office politics. This is why the unassuming ones who seem like they are above all the lowbrow garbage end up with the promotions.

As good as office gossip can be for you, it can be horrible for your company. Especially when it comes to having rumors about hiring practices floating around the office, I blame careless managers who seem to think they walk around in a soundproof bubble. I could fill books with the useful information I've gleaned from eavesdropping on cell phone conversations where one guy thinks the person he's talking to is on the moon. I've heard that people do not realize how loudly they speak on their cell phones, but I think it's more likely they are just irresponsible and stupid.

Of course, it is not just hearing snippets of phone calls that arm employees and competitors with useful bargaining information, but it is also the casual chitchat among friends that spreads intel. One person mentions something they heard to a coworker, then they blab, and the next day a different person is telling you the story back just as you told it to your coworker. Rumors play on loops like I play David Bowie songs I can't get out of my head. I will say it seems like people have gotten more nervous about this in the last few years.

Here is how it works in my business: Candidates who are employed and interviewing at a competitor are always concerned about confidentiality, and for good reason. The foundation of executive search is built on confidentiality and espionage — that is why I am so good at the gossip stuff. I know recruiters who could be waterboarded and would never say a thing. These are the Navy SEALS of headhunting in the furniture industry. Resolute as they are, it is usually the trusted friends that spill the beans. The safest secret is the one untold.

In business it is just stupid for you not to be conscience of what you are saying out loud. Who is having an affair? Who is getting a raise? Whose husband is cheating on who with whom? All great to know, but keep yourself out of it. If you're a business owner do not be naive — your customers may hear this gossip, and that is never good. Rumors swirling internally are one thing, but if they reach outside your company — and they always do — it starts to affect your brand. Customers believe almost everything they hear, true or not. It's the "fake news" of our industry, and it can put you out of business or out of a job.

The Viscusi Group company offices are in NYC in a major skyscraper outside of Rockefeller Center. For many years, we were based in the same office building as a certain major manufacturer's showroom — before they moved to their own building recently. Business was especially good for a couple of years when they had a loud-mouthed executive who couldn't be bothered to check if anyone was listening while he was on the phone in the lobby. And when the dealers came to visit ... real gold! So for managers and workers alike, gossip is a double-edged sword. Trade in gossip, but never let anyone trade in yours.

Stephen