Gossip, the curable malaise
Talking negatively about another human behind their back is a malaise suffered by most organisational cultures. Often, it’s not a reflection of the leaders themselves - unless they are openly guilty of it - it's a symptom of a deeper issue within the workforce: fear.
Fear of confrontation. Fear of rejection. Fear of being wrong. These fears manifest in ‘offline’ conversations that erode trust faster than any reorganisation ever could.
When people choose to hold conversations behind the backs of others over candid feedback, they're signalling that the psychological safety required for high performance simply doesn't exist. And make no mistake, this behaviour is contagious, I’ve seen it many times. One negative conversation leads to another until toxicity becomes the unwritten culture of your organisation.
What's particularly destructive is how this behaviour undermines the very collaboration needed to succeed. Teams fracture into factions, information becomes currency rather than a shared resource, and energy that should be directed toward customers or outcomes gets wasted on internal politics.
Leaders often miss these dynamics because they happen in shadows. They're measuring engagement scores while failing to observe the subtle micro-experiences that truly define its culture.
However, the malaise that gossip spreads is curable, through the provision of communication skills training and by deliberately (not just talking about) creating spaces for courageous conversations. Leaders could role model this and address issues, not identities and reward those brave enough to speak directly, even when it's uncomfortable.
I’ve long said that cultural transformation isn't about superficial acts such as free lunches or beanbags. It's about building human interactions built on respect and transparency and by ridding itself of the behaviours destined to hold them back. And everyone has a role to play in this.
The next time you're tempted to discuss a colleague with another rather than directly, ask yourself: ‘Am I contributing to the culture I would love to be part of?’ Because culture isn't what we say we value, it's what we choose to do and tolerate in our everyday actions.
