Monday, June 15, 2009

Oh you know, just the typical office gossip...

Awhile back I stumbled upon a a rumor circulating my "office" that was partially targeted at me.

Let me start with how much I do not tolerate gossip. The company I am working for is 99% women and the company I worked before that was also 99% women. In those circumstances, gossip is unfortunately unavoidable, but I believe there is a proper way to handle such distaste.

The proper way is to not contribute, period.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am female. I like to talk. I like to gossip about Heidi and Spencer, Angelina and Brad and ohmygod I can't believe she said that! Although, I'm very careful with who I confide in and make sure to never say anything that I would not say directly to someone. I've traveled this road before and I know that following this rainbow does not lead to a pot of gold. It only makes the gossiper look like a busybody with nothing better to do, and almost always ends with someone's feelings being unnecessarily hurt.

Well, this rumor is something that our boss (a district manager) allegedly said in regards to my staff and I. My instincts are telling me it's not true. If it were true, things would be very different right now. I know it. There are certain parameters in place right now that would not exist if these thirteen words were stated.

There's still that tiny voice in the back of my head that says, "What if it is true? What do you do then?"

Well, if it is true then all I can do is my job, right? If it was said, I will only let this fuel my fire to prove them all wrong. Although, bottom line, I will probably never know if it was truly said because I wasn't there. Not knowing is probably the healthiest alternative.

All I know is I am capable and strong in my position, otherwise I would not be in it. I will continue to do my job and do it well. Tolerating this nonsense is a waste of time and I will not condone this behavior in my "office" nor will I give anyone the satisfaction of a response.

Well, except for my smug smile when I continue to do what I'm doing and sit on top.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

you seem to be such a strong woman and i love your outlook & attitude on this situation. there is currently an office "situation" at my office between me & the other new girl. she apparently doesn't like me and has blatently made it obvious, you could cut the tension with a knife. i was stressing over it for a bit but as of recently and now thanks to your post i'm just going to continue to smile and move on :)

Anonymous said...

Just from what you've written previously I assume you're one of the top performers and that always gets bad attention from other managers and staff. All you can do it do your job and I'm sure if your DM had a problem with how you're doing it you'd know :)

Pursuit of Matching Accessories said...

My workplace is predominantly male, but my particular office is overwhelmingly female. They try to make my life hell. I am convinced that when people gossip and spread malicious rumors, it's in all likelihood due to jealousy. What benefit does it have other than making them look good? Of course, we all need our close friends/confidantes that we can share anything and everything with, but workplace gossip usually stems from jealousy. It can be hurtful but what's a girl to do? I think you're doing the right thing and have a fantastic attitude about it. You've mentioned how you made some great sales lately and I have no doubt that not everyone is "happy" for you. Just hang in there and with your positive attitude, you're guaranteed to come out on top!

Crazy Shenanigans-JMO said...

Don't let gossiping girls get you down or shake your confidence. I bet their just jealous that they don't have your job so they've resorted to the 8th grade way of dealing with it.

Jenny Georgio-who said...

Don't ever let work gossip get you down. I work in a small office for a huge company. We are only 3 people in this office and we all get along wonderfully. We have two traveling sales reps and one in particuliar who manages to always disrupt the harmony in our office. At first I would really let it get to me. I would take it the wrong way and then I realized something. She is jealous of me and the position I hold. Techincally, my job is "lower" than hers however our boss really respects my opinion and he'd rather discuss something with me instead of with this woman. He doesn't conference her into the meetings, he always asks me to be a part of them.... Then we get a new sales rep. The older sales rep again gets jealous and tries to look down on the other one.

It's like teachers pet. This lady wants to be a teachers pet and will try to take everyone down to get there...but we being professionals and smart just have to sit there and smile while continuing to do our job. :)

I love your outlook onlife Amber!

Lesli said...

You have the right attitude - take the high road!

Amber said...

Bah! Work gossip is SOOO annoying. I encountered it SO much working at restaurants. Girls, especially girl waitresses, like to involve themselves in SO much drama!!

The office I work in now is all women but they are older, more professional women and a very close-knit group, so I haven't encountered any problems with gossip there. It's refreshing!!