Company Secrets and Whisper Campaigns

I sat behind two guys on the train last night who were talking across the aisle about their colleagues. They both worked for a very large company that you all have heard of. And during the conversation, they used names, that had I cared to, I could have easily written down and check on.

They were talking HR issues — who was going to be fired, who had performance issues, who had a drinking problem, who was fooling around. And these two guys were doing that sotto voce thing when they said the bad stuff that, to them, made it seem like it was okay.

It wasn’t okay. In fact, it was a long way from okay.

So here’s the deal for today: If you’re in HR, it’s not okay to talk about people on the train. Or anywhere. You have a job that includes a sacred trust, and that is an expectation that people who work in your company are real people with real lives and real worries. And their problems, while probably worth nothing more than a hill of beans to those guys on my train, are private problems.

If you know anyone in HR who likes it because it’s a little Peyton Place that gives them stories to gossip about, please encourage them to get out of the business. We don’t need their type.

About the Author

Frank Roche

Frank started IFRACTAL over 7 years ago with Sarah Chambers. Together, they've created HR communications and HR software for some of the world's leading companies. Frank is also studying Flamenco guitar and origami.

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