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Posted: 2008-08-07 12:46
Any creative and effective ideas to combat employees gathering in cubes to whisper?
cynbrandt
Joined: Nov 11, 2003 Posts: 1782
Posted: 2008-08-07 14:19
Their supervisor should sneak up to the Gossip Cube and say:
GET THE &()*$)( BACK TO WORK!!!
nork3
Joined: Feb 12, 2002 Posts: 3876
Posted: 2008-08-07 17:34
I like your style, Cyn!
mdlyon
Joined: Aug 05, 2008 Posts: 12
Posted: 2008-08-12 13:32
LOL @ Cyn!
Is it gossiping or just whispering? Is the employee sitting close to friends? Maybe a reason could be found to move the employee to a cube that's not as easy to converse from, like a corner on the outside edge...or near a manager's office.
If it's not gossiping but rather just chit-chat and joking around, maybe there needs to be a social place for employees to hang out during their lunch break?
I know employees here in my cube farm go through bouts of chattiness...especially Friday afternoons...but it's mostly harmless and we overlook it as long as it doesn't get out of control...which luckily it doesn't.
Let me know if Cyn's idea works out... haha!
NA07950
Joined: Mar 27, 2008 Posts: 8
Posted: 2008-08-12 15:35
Still laughing at Cyn's suggestion....
But we do have a similar problem and have sent out an email communication on business etiquette in workstations and offices, and I recently did a follow up presentation for all staff. Unfortunately, my take is that the people who are the biggest offenders don't recognize their behavior. In our case, I've encouraged employees who complain about this to speak with the individuals themselves.
lesallan
Joined: Apr 16, 2007 Posts: 108
Posted: 2008-08-13 19:04
Mark, what is the actual business impact of the problem? Is it wasted productivity, lower morale through rumormongering, noise annoying adjacent workers, or what? If it is multiple impacts, what is the primary impact you need to address? Your solution will be easier to see if you can articulate the impact of the problem.
And another question, What has their manager done about it so far?
Posted: 2008-08-21 09:09
Tell the employees that the whispering is a distraction, and to combat the distraction, the company is considering piping in loud Muzak to cover it up.
That should work if you're into the "Scared Straight" approach....
butchkod
Joined: Aug 22, 2007 Posts: 2
Posted: 2008-08-26 10:34
I think a key point has been raised, what is the impact of their whispering? First make sure it is not a valid business discussion, and they are whispering out of consideration to other people sitting around them.
drobinso
Joined: Aug 26, 2008 Posts: 4
Posted: 2008-08-26 12:05
Lesallan has hit the nail on the head by asking about the impact of the whispering. If it is not hurting productivity, or keeping people from getting their work done or has no other adverse effects, then why stop it?
I worked in an organization once that did not like its employees tlaking to each other. We weren't allowed to go out to lunch together; or if two of us went in an office and closed the door, one of us would be called in to the boss's office to find out what had been said. The women resorted to going to an upstairs public bathroom so we could exchange quick bits of information with each other. Needless to say, morale at this place was extremely low.
Now, if the whispering is a problem-- people aren't getting their jobs done because of the talking, or nearby co-workers are complaining of the distraction-- those are the things you need to address. How do you handle any other productivity issues? You talk to the employee about their failure to perform the job, restate the expectations, and move on through the steps of progressive discipline.
If other employees are complaining about the distraction, you might have to pull the people who are doing the whispering in for a private meeting. I would handle it informally, "Hey, I know that privacy is an issue with the cubicles we have for office space, but I've heard several people complain about being distracted by you two in there whispering. If it's something you don't want others to hear, then please take it off site, or to the break room. Otherwise, go ahead and talk in a normal tone because that's actually much less distracting than havng people whisper."
Or you could just adopt the method my former boss used-- walk up and down the hall, and when you see people chatting with each other, ask them in a loud voice, "What's going on?" If you do that every time they stop to talk to each other, they'll stop pdq.
Ravenstar
Joined: Aug 28, 2008 Posts: 1
Posted: 2008-08-28 12:12
If you have a plumbing leak in a complex system, you may have to put red dye in the water to see if where the leak is. You can use gossip in the same way. Make sure one of the regulars overhears something worth repeating -- but make it very good news about the company. If it gets repeated, then you have a person who can help spread good PR about what's going on with the organization.
nork3
Joined: Feb 12, 2002 Posts: 3876
Posted: 2008-08-28 14:24
Or you could have a member of senior management announce it to the organization and enhance the image of senior management and the employee communications process.
Word of mouth such as you suggest tends to get distorted through repetition (ever play "telephone"?). Using a known gossiper as an employee communications channel is a very bad idea.
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Posted: 2008-08-07 12:46 
