Study: Office Gossip Costs Men More Than Women
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Men who trade gossip at work may be damaging their chances of moving up. A new study found that men who gossip are seen as less competent and less qualified for leadership than women who do the same.
Why the penalty lands harder on men
"Men when they engage in gossip, they tend to be judged a lot more harshly than women," said Trevor Spoelma, an associate professor of management and entrepreneurship at the University of Iowa's Tippie College of Business, in comments to Fortune.
Spoelma noted that men often get a pass compared with women when they break norms. Gossip is the exception, he said.
He offered a possible reason. Gossip is old, yet by about the 16th century the word had a darker ring, because people linked it with women who spread rumors. A man who gossips about a third party can be seen as breaking traditional expectations of how men behave. For women, the same act may fit longstanding stereotypes better.
Three studies, one pattern
The researchers work at the University of Iowa and the University of New Mexico. They began by observing 272 undergraduate students in five-person teams on a class project. Two online experiments with roughly 450 US workers followed.
Gossipers were rated as less competent in every study, and the drop was larger for men.
Gossip has an upside
Hybrid work means less face-to-face collaboration, and the article points to a broader loneliness crisis among men. Informal talk with colleagues is one way to build relationships.
Psychologist Scott Lyons has told Fortune that being in on something makes a person feel part of an inner circle. Such feelings of trust and belonging are among the benefits of gossip.
Spoelma stressed that gossip is not always malicious. Negative gossip means questioning a colleague's abilities, criticizing their work or telling an unflattering story. It can just as well be a compliment, or a light remark about a person who is not around.
Business leaders who reject gossip
Dave Ramsey has made "No Gossip" one of 14 values at Ramsey Solutions. He said on his EntreLeadership show in 2024 that he will fire people for gossiping. Employees must hand negatives up to someone in leadership who can act on them, he said. Passing them down or sideways counts as gossip, and he might warn a person once before firing them.
Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, said in a 2012 interview that people should not talk behind someone's back. In his view, many people discuss what others do wrong without telling those people, so nobody hears the other side and the talk is not productive.
Virgin Group co-founder Richard Branson told LinkedIn in 2024: "If I ever hear anybody gossiping, I will walk away because it's just not good."
Source: Fortune