Are you tolerating – or worse – contributing to the drama at work? The workplace is stressful enough without all the drama that pervades it. Some people seem to thrive on drama, and feed into it. Others dislike it but allow themselves to be pulled into it. And there are also those who are wise enough to manage themselves around it.
Drama happens when people participate in gossip and grapevine, and when they make assumptions about what they see or hear and act upon them before verifying the facts. Drama happens when people allow their emotional reactions and needs to drive their behavior.
Drama happens when people with low self-esteem want to make themselves feel important by “knowing” something that others may not. Sometimes even managers, from their own lack of awareness, fuel the fire by participating in or not stopping it.
Drama and drama-making may seem to be “just how it has always been around here” but it is toxic and unhealthy. It erodes relationships and reduces productivity. Drama is a bad habit that has infused our work cultures and needs to be reversed.
Times of turbulence or constant change create uncertainty and ambiguity, which makes people uncomfortable, concerned or scared. In the absence of information, they may seek to know by looking for “clues” or satisfy themselves by guessing.
Leaders can help to minimize conjecture that leads to unhealthy grapevine with clear, honest and frequent communications. In the absence of leadership that is capable or willing to do so, however, employees – if they truly desire to – can choose to take care of themselves in the following ways:
- Honor confidences – always. Whether it is a business issue or a personal issue, when a colleague comes to you “in confidence,” the information conveyed should be kept as such. Even if you know that others know, you need to honor it as if you were the only one – this is a reflection of your personal integrity.
- Learn to distinguish what is your business and what is not. If it has nothing to do with you, your job or your department let it go. There is no reason or value to hold on to information that has no impact on you. It is a waste of your time and energy.
- If gossip or grapevine does have something to do with you, then you can choose to ignore it or to do something about it. That latter choice would require going to the person who would be the source (if personal) to put a stop to it, or a trusted person in leadership (if work-related) to clarify and get the straight answer.
- In the absence of information, business rumors will abound. In many cases, the situations will be nothing you have control over, such as a departmental changes or jobs rumored to be eliminated. If you suspect that you might personally be affected, discreetly create your back-up plan and be prepared to take care of yourself. You are the only one you really need to worry about.
- Learn to say “That has nothing to do with me”, or “I guess we’ll know for sure when management makes an announcement.” Rise above the hype. Focus on doing your job and doing it well. That is what you are paid to do.
