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Peter Honey

Peter Honey

20 Jul 2010 | 09:58

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I see that Ray Dalio has reportedly issued a decree to his 1,000 employees at Bridgewater Associates. Apparently it warns that anyone who is overheard speaking maliciously about a colleague three times will be fired. The idea is to force people to speak well of their colleagues and “never say anything about a person you wouldn’t say to him directly”.

There are two things about this that set me thinking: first, the effect of rules on human behaviour; and, second, the wisdom of attempting to ban gossiping at work.

Rules first - I always remember an organisation I used to visit where security was high. One lunchtime I went for a walk in the grounds and came across a large notice which read: “Do not go beyond this point. This is an inflexible rule”. I love the idea of flexible and inflexible rules – a sort of grudging admission that many rules are there to be broken and that only the inflexible ones are inviolable. Generally speaking I’m in favour of rules; even inflexible ones. Assuming they are sensible and upheld (both vital criteria), they seem to me to be a good way to temper behaviours that would otherwise be unwelcome and/or harmful. Even when you choose to ignore a rule, this is a conscious decision made in the full knowledge that an adverse consequence will follow if you are caught.

Now, malicious gossip. Gossiping is a thoroughly enjoyable activity – hence its widespread prevalence – and even though you can easily dismiss it as “just” gossip, it undoubtedly has a corrosive effect. Even when you know that what you are hearing is unsubstantiated, and in all probability exaggerated, it is hard to ignore. All gossip, by definition, is two-faced because it involves talking about someone behind their back. Being open and honest means that you would never say anything about someone that you would not say to their face. On balance, it seems to me a good idea to discourage gossiping and if the threat of “three times and you’re out” is an adequate deterrent then so be it. Of course, there are the usual practical problems (who will monitor the gossip, who will count to three?). And claiming that you have overheard someone gossiping could be gossip itself!

But even if having an inflexible rule banning gossiping is impracticable, is it a push in the right direction? Someone once remarked that rules should be handrails not handcuffs. Perhaps Ray Dalio’s rule is in reality a flexible handrail?

Comments

1. At 15:02 on 21 Jul 2010, Claire wrote:

I am also in favour of rules but gossiping in the office is a day to day problem and monitoring this would be very difficult.

I definitely believe that there should be something in place to stop this behaviour in the workplace as it can have an enourmous effect on the person or persons involved from both a work and personal perspective.

I have worked for a number of organisations where someone has had something to say about someone in the office and hasn't given it a second thought as to the damage they could potentially cause for their colleague, if people thought about the long term factors and how they would feel if they 'were the talk of the office' then they may think before they speak.
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