How to Take Control of Office Gossip

Talking smack about your colleagues can have repercussions far beyond the water cooler. Just ask Joseph Lacher, president of Allstate Protection who left the company last month, according to the Wall Street Journal after referring to Allstate CEO Thomas Wilson as a "f--ing a--." (The company's $620 million second-quarter loss might have something to do with bubbling tensions at the insurance giant.)

When it comes to career management and planning ahead for your next job, you never want to paint yourself as "that guy" who derides your employer. Instead, gain traction in your career development by finding ways to defuse the sort of office gossip that's tempting to indulge but destructive to morale.

New York Times columnist John Tierney offers an interesting view of the mechanics of office gossip based on an ethnographic study that analyzes the practice as a means for groups to marshal political power.

Tierney also examines techniques for defusing gossip in the workplace, based on suggestions from sociologist Tim Hallett, a co-author of the subject. "If, say, an office rival seems poised to trash one of your absent allies, Dr. Hallett suggests you make a "pre-emptive positive evaluation," Tierney writes. "A quick 'Isn't she doing a great job?' might be enough to stop the attack.

"If your rival tries persisting with indirect sarcasm -- 'Oh, real great job' -- you can force the issue by calmly asking what that means. That simple question, a dare made in a pleasant voice, often silenced the sarcastic gossips observed by Dr. Hallett.

"And if that doesn't work, Dr. Hallett suggests ... you always have one reliable escape line: "Don't we have some work to do here?"