My Boss Likes To Gossip. How Do I Deal With This? HR Advices

By Elizabeth Benu,

“I have been in this company for 4 years now but for the past 3 months my boss has been having a habit I consider unfit. Twice a week my boss calls me into his office and at this time we get to have intense conversations about my colleagues. He says terrible things about them and then afterwards asks me what I think about it. Most times all I do is respond with “I don’t know” or remain silent.

It irritates me that he is always trying to get me to talk badly about my colleagues. I once asked him what all that talk had to do with me and it did not end well so I decide to listen without asking any questions. He now seems to be getting closer with my colleague and I am concerned about him going behind my back and saying things I never said.

I want to settle this once and for all and at the same time keep my job and maintain a good relationship with my boss. What should I do or what would I have done better? Peris Omondi* says in her email.

We have to admit that we sometimes gossip about “things” with our friends. But sometimes gossip enters the work place and it tends to do more harm than good. It becomes unfortunate when it comes from your boss. So, what would you do?

“In my opinion gossiping is not right or ethical,” says Naomi Kituku a Human Resource Officer at Kenya Tea Development Agency.

“There are three major dangers of getting into gossip. It leads to lack of respect and too much familiarization. It can also bring a lot of conflict in the office. In an office there needs to be a gap and a level of respect between employer and employees.

For example if you gossip about a colleague and the boss echo’s your words to your colleague, what would happen?” says Ms. Kituku.

If the boss involves you,  how should you handle it? Do you participate or not? I inquire

“Never participate in gossip because it never ends well. Gossiping always has a way of getting out. In such a situation it is advisable to brush it off by finding a way(s) of not talking about it. It is also good to talk in a positive manner. If you are not interested, it is most likely that the boss will drop the conversation,” advices Ms. Kituku.

You may wonder why a boss would be gossiping.

Ms. Kituku says that it could be they are fishing for something.

“It could also be a test to know what kind of person you are; your character. It could also be to know what the other person is like. If the boss is looking for information he is using you to get it or it could even be a way to cause chaos in the office,” she says.

“The bottom line; do not contribute to any gossip because the way you respond puts a message across. Say something positive in response to something negative or settle on not talking,” Ms Katiku advices.

Next time your boss initiates a gossip session, don’t get involved. It’s a work relationship not a casual one.

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