subject: Business Rumors can Grind you Up – Casey Jones [print this page] Business Rumors can Grind you Up Casey Jones
Take part in it. The path to the rumor mill starts with employee uncertainty and lack of information. Once the rumor kicks in, it can be challenging to shut it down because your statements and protestations are viewed as spin or damage control. Today's economic situation is an ideal one for cranking up the rumors. Talk of recession, cutbacks and layoffs are just the thing to get the rumor mill grinding. The rumor mill is not limited to large companies. It exists in every organization. Rumors can be spread by malicious malcontents or by innocent employees simply wondering out loud. In both cases, a lack of real information from management contributes to their start. Different scenarios may be involved like,
It's business as usual:
Things might be going well, but employees may not know this. If they do know it, it is because administration have made it a practice to give them a state-of-the-union update every few months or so. Even in times of precariousness, this information flow must continue. Management should realize the fact that, workers are entitled to know the status of the company. And if the employees feel that, they're being treated honestly and with respect, they're more likely to stick around through the difficult period. If employees don't know the company is going well, since nobody has told them. This is one of the primary cause for rumors. Left to their own imaginations, employees will look at what is going on in the economy and extend this uncertainty to their place of employment, thus damaging morale, decreasing productivity, and potentially increasing turnover.
Business is tight, but it's nothing too serious:
In such situations, Administration might think they there's no need to reveal that things are less than rosy because, in the long run, everything will be fine. Of course, in the long run, things may be fine, but it is the short run that matters now. Many people are living paycheck to paycheck, and the idea of lost income is a powerful threat. So, although you may be all right in the long run, your workers want to know that their jobs will be preserved in the short run as well as the long run. Rather than not report at all, administration must update employees and reassure them that, although business is off a bit, their jobs are safe and there is no reason for concern.
Business is bad:
Every day, we read in the News papers about business bankruptcies. Unfortunately, that happens in good times as well as bad times. But slow economy is a primary reason for failed businesses. Some misguided managers tell themselves that "no news is good news" and bad news will only cause employees to leave. Wrong. "No news" is an great opportunity for the rumor to grind on, and bad news is an opportunity for the company to rally and come to together to meet the crisis.
Even in the best of times, communication is one of the most neglected responsibilities of leadership. Managers who keep silent miss the opportunity to stop the rumor mill. Better to tell employees the truth and get them on your side than to tell them nothing and let the rumors push the employees out the door.
