Ears will be justifiably burning across UK offices today as results from a new study from diet Coke reveals that gossiping about office politics, other colleagues and the boss is now a staple skill being deployed by career minded Brits to get ahead. And itís girls who are leading the way.
Over half (53%) admit to gossiping about their colleagues and office politics over and above typical chat about family (24%), private life (22%) and their feelings (18%). And its bosses who should be especially worried ñ more than one in ten (12%) admitted to gossiping about their boss more frequently than dayís newspaper headlines (7%), world events (5%) and celebrities (5%).
The diet Coke commissioned report found that this work time gossip is not just idle small talk ñ rather itís a crucial skill with a specific code of rules that forms the backbone of modern office communication.
No such thing as ëdowntimeí
Half of 18-25 year old women (49%) say that bonding is crucial in order to secure success in the modern cut-throat workplace
Six out of ten (57%) say they use their break time as strategic moments to gossip and share secrets to form these bonds
Women are 20% more likely to use a break in their working day as a strategic networking opportunity than men
Masters of chat
Girls spend a whopping 69 minutes a day, equivalent to 2 years of their working lives, gossiping with their colleagues
Girls have a broader gossip repertoire than the boys, with the average womanís gossip session covers 5.1 topics compared to menís 4.6
Itís not just office politics - women are three times more likely to discuss their family, 10% more likely to discuss their private life and 6% more likely to discuss how they are feeling than men
The etiquette of gossip
1. Never be seen to be a gossip, but be good at it
2. For ëno one likes a gossipí read ëno one likes a bad gossipí (especially at work)
3. Know the difference between a secret that can be used as office social currency and a secret that should be kept
4. Know your gossip friends (and enemies) and who to trust
5. Choose your spot wisely ñ out of the office is best!
Leading social anthropologist, Kate Fox says: ìPeople have always gossiped at work but in todayís cut throat workplace itís taken on a more complex form - women in particular have developed advanced skills turning even their break time into a strategic moment to form bonds through gossiping and chatting together. What might appear to be idle chit chat is actually a finely honed communication skill integral to career advancement where being a ëgood gossipí and using crucial downtime as a subtle networking device can set you apart from your colleagues.î
Paranoid at work? You should be...
New research from diet Coke reveals office gossip is latest weapon in quest for career advancement
