should employees be disciplined for workplace gossip?
I decided to take the stairs today. no, the world didn't suddenly stop spinning on its axis. It's Friday, and I like to live life on the edge.
Upon entering the stairwell, I surprised two gals gossiping. I'm only assuming they were gossiping because they had that tharn look Richard Adams writes about, like they were caught in the headlights and couldn't escape the clutches of fear.
I caught 'em. in what, i don't know. I don't know who they were slandering, or why. But they both looked had the 'oh crap' look on their faces. So i smiled and marched on my way. From over my shoulder I heard, "do you think he heard us?" Now there is a possibility they were talking about me, but I highly doubt it being as new as I am. at times even I have to check my badge to make sure I'm an employee here. I dismissed the event as interesting, but that's about it.
but it later got me thinking.
and we know how dangerous that is.
These two would be fired if I had walked in and they had been smoochin on some guy who wasn't their husband (or if they were smoochin' on each other). They'd been disciplined if I caught them swiggin' from a flask, or snortin' a line. but maligning someone else goes unpunished, unnoticed.
not that I'm interested in reporting them to anyone (truth be told, i wouldn't be able to pick them out of an employee photo directory), but even if I were, i'd be laughed out of personnel and it would be my record that would be red-flagged.
I'm not advocating an even more graceless society than already exists. I just have freshly noticed that while we (meaning Christians) keep saying that all sin is bad, we don't really act that way.
do we really believe that gossip is bad?