Mind Matters: Gossip in the Lab -- Proceed with Caution

Mind Matters: Gossip in the Lab -- Proceed with Caution

- Irene S. Levine

1. Avoid gossip if you can.

2. If you must gossip, gossip judiciously

3. If you hear gossip, exercise discretion

4. Don't believe everything you hear, even if disbelieving requires, well, a willing suspension of belief.

5. Only gossip among people you know and who know you.

6. If you're a manager, assess whether gossip is symptomatic of a paucity of communication

7. Know when and how to draw the line

8. The problem with gossip is that one day it will be about you.

http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2010_01_29/caredit.a1000012