From Gossip to Growth
Podcast: From Gossip to Growth | Eradicate Workplace Gossip
Host: Rika Whelan
Category: Business
Sub-Category: Management & Leadership, Self-Improvement & Advice
First Episode: 2024
Is gossip rampant in your department, organisation or company? Have you tried multiple different strategies, but nothing seems to work? I’ve been there before! Hi, I’m Rika Whelan, Workplace Gossip Strategist. I started as the gossiper, following the ‘unwritten rules’ of the organisation I was working at where gossip was the norm. I was never spoken to by a leader for gossiping, and I’ve often wondered why it was tolerated. After changing employers, I decided to not be part of the office gossip problem anymore… I wasn’t going to gossip! As gossip was rampant in this working environment, I soon became a victim of gossip for my lack of sharing the gossiping sentiment. I stuck to my guns and refused to participate. I became somewhat of an outsider, but I stuck it out. Although I was building internal resilience and getting to know how strong I (really) was, I became resentful towards the leaders for the lack of accountability towards staff, lack of care for the working environment that we were in and the fact that they were part of the problem. Fast forward a couple of years and I found myself in a leadership role where I led a relatively new department. Within 3 months, gossip had taken over and there was a huge problem! I pulled up my sleeves and declared battle! Gossip would not have a place in my team! I set out to find the solution to eradicating workplace gossip. But no one had the exact answer. A lot of great leaders offered their advice and slowly but surely, I had to put the pieces of the puzzle together. I implemented what is now known as the RESPECT framework, which is the steps I took, very clunky and making a lot of mistakes along the way, to eradicate workplace gossip and create a thriving workplace culture. It took me 12 months to implement these steps, but I did it!
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