Boss gossip – Ask the Workplace Doctors

Store Manager’s Badmouths Subordinates

April 21, 2014April 21, 2014 Bill Gorden

A question to Ask the Workplace Doctors about a boss’s demeaning gossip: How do you cope with a boss who gossips?

How do you deal with a store manager who disrespects you in private so nobody hears her? My boss does this to a lot of employees. How do you deal with this?

Signed,

Deal With It?

Answer:

Dear Deal With It?:

You get specific. By that I mean you talk to your boss about what specifically you have heard about yourself that she supposedly said or you heard her say about others. You ask her if it is true that she said. If she denies it, you say, “I hope you didn’t say that or anything like that. A boss should not gossip about any of us. If she has a complaint, she should talk to that person face to face. That’s what I want you to do with me and not to talk about me to anyone else. Can I count on that?”

Supervisor Shared My Family Information

October 14, 2013October 14, 2013 Bill Gorden

Question to Ask the Workplace Doctors about disclosing family information: She told the co-worker that my father was gay

My supervisor shared personal family information to a co-worker. She told the co-worker that my father was gay without my permission. I attempted to deal with this situation by following our organizations problem resolution by going to my director (supervisor’s boss) by email to schedule a meeting. The director then responded to the email that I needed to follow our hierarchy of command and copied my supervisor on the response. What should I do with this situation? Do I go directly to my human resources department?

Boss Gossip About Me

September 12, 2009September 12, 2009 Bill Gorden

Question to Ask the Workplace Doctors about a boss’s gossip:

What if you hear someone that is supposed to be over you gossiping about you to one of your peers? The superior did not ever get my side of the story, just the peer’s side. I heard negative things said about me by both of them. What now?

Signed, Target of Gossip

Dear Target of Gossip:

Hearing gossip about you obviously has caused you to be angry, and that is understandable. You asked: “What now?” What happens next hinges on your relationship with that superior and your peer. Apparently, what you have not described in your query is conflict with that peer. Right?

Supervisor Talking About My Personal Life

July 11, 2006July 11, 2006 Tina Lewis Rowe

Question to Ask the Workplace Doctors about supervisor discussing my personal life to another employee:

I was bringing my supervisor something that she requested. When I knocked on her door, I could hear her talking from another office. As I got close to the other office where she was, I overheard her discussing my personal life to another employee. She stated that I was always broke and I never had any money.

She stated that I was planning on getting married, but my boyfriend was living off of me. She kept saying how she didn’t understand why I was so broke. She couldn’t believe I was getting married to the guy that I was getting married to. She doesn’t see where all of my money was going. Well after I had heard enough, I knocked on the door. My supervisor opened the door and I gave her the package that I was asked to bring to her. I walked over to her office with her, and I told her that I had heard her talking about me. She didn’t respond. I asked her why, and she strugged her shoulders as if to say she didn’t know. I said OK and walked away. What should I do about this situation? Is this slander?