From Gossip to Growth | Eradicate Workplace Gossip Podcast Insights

Is gossip rampant in your department, organisation or company?

Have you tried multiple different strategies, but nothing seems to work?

I’ve been there before! Hi, I’m Rika Whelan, Workplace Gossip Strategist.

I started as the gossiper, following the ’unwritten rules’ of the organisation I was working at where gossip was the norm. I was never spoken to by a leader for gossiping, & I’ve often wondered why it was tolerated.

After changing employers, I decided to not be part of the office gossip problem anymore... I wasn’t going to gossip!

As gossip was rampant in this working environment, I soon became a victim of gossip for my lack of sharing the gossiping sentiment.

I stuck to my guns and refused to participate. I became somewhat of an outsider, but I stuck it out.

Although I was building internal resilience & getting to know how strong I (really) was, I became resentful towards the leaders for the lack of accountability towards staff, lack of care for the working environment that we were in & the fact that they were part of the problem.

Fast forward a couple of years & I found myself in a leadership role where I led a relatively new department. Within 3 months, gossip had taken over & there was a huge problem!

I pulled up my sleeves & declared battle! Gossip would not have a place in my team!

I set out to find the solution to eradicating workplace gossip. But no one had the exact answer. A lot of great leaders offered their advice & slowly but surely, I had to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

I implemented what is now known as the RESPECT framework, which is the steps I took, very clunky and making A LOT of mistakes along the way, to eradicate workplace gossip & create a thriving workplace culture.

It took me 12 months to implement these steps, but I did it!

Along with my leadership team, we eradicated gossip & experienced first-hand what it felt like to work in a gossip-free zone! It felt good! It felt amazing & it was worth all the effort, trials and tribulations.

By eradicating gossip, my team:-＞ Increased productivity-＞ Managed their time better-＞ Stopped wasting valuable time-＞ Started working autonomously-＞ Started trusting each other-＞ Experienced less conflict-＞ Gained a growth mindset and left the fixed mindset behind-＞ Offered a better customer experience

As a result of eradicating office gossip, the leadership team:-＞ Gained back valuable time, usually wasted on mediating unnecessary conflict-＞ Could focus on strategy instead of on bad and negative employee behaviour-＞ Could focus on activities that affect the bottom line-＞ Could focus on offering a better and more positive working environment for all employees.

Now I’m on a mission, to share these strategies with leaders who are also ready to eradicate workplace gossip and get their department or organisation back on track.

Together, we’ll break the cycle of gossip with transformative leadership strategies!

Next steps:

Head to https://www.gossiptogrowth.com where you’ll be able to:1. Join the Free Facebook Community or simply head to Facebook and search “Leaders Breaking the Cycle of Workplace Gossip (From Gossip to Growth)”2. Download the free copy of the RESPECT framework3. Join the book launch team for my new book “From Gossip to Growth”4. Contribute to my new book by filling out a survey5. Book a free gossip strategy call with me.