You've Got to Be Kidding!: How to Keep Your Job Without Losing Your Integrity

All Sorts of Tongues Are Wagging

If the sins of the flesh are the world’s oldest sins, the sins of the wagging tongue run a strong second. Gossip relies on “secrets,” and the temptation to share a secret is always enticing. Being the source of so-called secret information elevates the gossiper—at least in her mind—at the expense of the person about whom she’s gossiping. As Polish philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer observed, “If I maintain my silence about my secret, it is my prisoner. But, if I let it slip from my tongue, I am its prisoner.”

Gossip can be defined as talking/texting/e-mailing about someone else’s personal affairs when that someone cannot defend herself. Whether the information is true or untrue, it is almost always hurtful, disrespectful, and/or insulting. Gossip is bad for an Ethical Office; it causes drama, and drama erodes productivity and trust. If, for example, Ginger from Manhattan lets the gossip get the better of her, it may escalate to a point where it hurts her professional performance—and then she’ll have a real problem.