I’ve been in an office environment for over two decades and know the rumor mill runs strong. It also has taken on a new aspect thanks to social media. Now it can operate 24/7.
Your job, if you intend to lead a fulfilling, successful engineering career, is to put the rumor mill out of business. I realize that it’s impossible to influence others to quit contributing to the mill. However, you do have control over what you say, do, and focus on. So start there and set the example.
Set A Zero-Tolerance Rule for Gossip
Back in World War II the slogan “loose lips sink ships” was used to remind people to use discretion in what they said and who they said it to. The premise being that if you had critical information to the war effort and shared it with someone, it might eventually result in people getting killed.
I think there’s something we can borrow from that slogan to help remind us to stay away from gossip, rumors, and talking behind other people’s backs. Here are some reasons you can sink your own ship by having loose lips:
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It’s a waste of time. While it may seem innocuous to have a conversation with your office mates about issues that irritate you, it’s a time waster. Regardless where you work - even for yourself - the time spent in the rumor mill is time not spent on the work that is productive. A Forbes sponsored look at workplace time investment revealed that nearly forty-percent of employees waste at least an hour a day on gossip and small talk and twenty-one percent spend up to five hours per day! My hope is that the figures for engineers are lower, but by how much? If you know that you make contributions to the rumor mill, think about how that time might be better invested in creating the engineering career you want, versus how silly a colleague looked at the client meeting on Monday.
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It’s a distraction and it makes you dumber. Studies on the impact of interruptions to our work flow and cognitive ability have really flourished in the past two decades as connectivity has expanded. While the studies are related to multitasking there’s elements of the results that I believe are applicable to office place gossip. First, gossip doesn’t tend to occur during a set meeting or phone call weekly. It’s typically ad hoc - Cindy sticks her head in your office to chat about a project and then the next thing you’re both off topic on the rumor mill. How long does it now take you to get back on task after she leaves? According to a FastCompany article: “an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the task.”
Second, these disruptions actually degrade your ability to make sound decisions. And if the rumor you hear involves you - for example a colleague stops by to share the gossip that’s been circulating the office about you - the likelihood that you’ll remain mentally engaged on any task is nil.
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It’s unprofessional. Engineers are professionals and professionals don’t engage in negative talk about colleagues or anyone else for that matter. When I was a squadron commander I had a zero-tolerance expectation for sexual harassment, racial discrimination, or vulgar jokes in my unit. I also had a zero-tolerance for gossip because it’s insidious. A rumor’s negative impact to the morale of any organization is toxic. While the impact in a military unit might seem different than your engineering firm or department, it’s really the same. People become demoralized; if they are targets of the rumor (be it true or a lie) they become disengaged or worse. The overall effectiveness of the team drops, sometimes to rock bottom.
In some situations the rumor mill can bring about legal liabilities, especially if it violates protected status of demographics or is slanderous.
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It’s not supportive of an engineering career of fulfillment and success. A fulfilling, successful engineering career involves more than a title and healthy bank balance. Readers of this column know this. They know that it involves other factors like the knowledge of being a part of something larger than themselves and helping and serving others. When we become engaged in a rumor mill and help to propagate it we aren’t being helpful or serving anyone. It will, over time, affect your mindset in a negative way and this will cascade into affecting your overall career satisfaction.
The better option? Avoid participating in the rumor mill. Think about how you will react the next time a colleague approaches you with the latest gossip about an office mate or client. Or even the latest celebrity gossip from the Daily Mail.
I participated in the rumor mill earlier in my career. At the time it felt like the best way to fit in with the other engineers that worked in my section. But I eventually saw that for them, the rumor mill was their way of tearing other people down to their size. I realized that to work in the mill might make me a part of their club, but it wouldn’t help me become the best version of myself possible.
That’s what it comes down: do you wish to be the best version of yourself possible in your engineering career? Or tear others down to a lower level version?
Christian Knutson, P.E., PMP is an engineer, infrastructure program manager, coach and author. He has extensive experience in leadership, personnel and project management, engineering and strategy earned from a career as a civil engineering officer in the U.S. Air Force. He now coaches engineers enabling them to create an engineering career and life of fulfillment at The Engineering Career Coach.
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net