This is a personal story about the power of the grapevine in the office...
Once upon a time, I worked for a company that didn’t really value its employees as people or as resources. Surprisingly, the company was quite small so it felt like people truly mattered. The smallness provided an inherent focus on people because we all knew each other --so well since we could overhear pretty much every conversation unless behind closed doors. While it seemed people-centric on the surface, we eventually noticed that none of the policies or procedures or decisions were ever for the employee’s benefit, nor were they even win/win…they were always “for” the bottom line.
Management was crafty about putting a spin on announcements, so that they actually thought we bought their argument about whatever decision made was for the best- for the company and its employees. But it was a sham. People talked all the time about it, in the hallway to the bathroom, in the kitchenette, out in the parking lot after hours. People lamented why they worked there.
I had been working there almost 3 years when a series of policies were changed for the worse, again, and salary adjustments were like a slap in the face. It was disheartening to say the least, and almost 6 months later I prepared to leave the company. I’ll never forget what came next. Management expressed shock and dismay, and concern over what would happen to many things that were my responsibility across the company. Most notably, they just couldn’t imagine why I wanted to leave. They didn’t even fake consideration regarding what was best for me, or offer congratulations on taking a more prestigious job more related to my college degree.
A few days later, my direct manager sat me down to discuss reasons for leaving. I thought it was to evaluate what the company could have done to keep me as a happy, productive, valued employee (as they claimed I was), and determine how best to transition my duties & projects. However, these were not discussed since my manager was far more concerned with what the office memo would say announcing my departure. I was probed and prodded until finally the reason for my leaving was determined (NOT due to the crappy employee policies, a laughable salary, and my lack of will to go on in a company without a real purpose.).
The memo went out the next day announcing I "was going back to school.” Because I understood the power of office gossip and valued it more than these managers, I realized I had but one final duty to perform. I found myself going along with what was expected of me, attempting to tame the destructive nature of the grapevine and putting a positive spin on the announcement, like too sweet icing on a ruined cake. It was hard to keep a straight face when everyone who worked there knew most of the truth, and yet I explained that the firm I was joining offered an education reimbursement program and I wanted to complete graduate school (well yeah, someday).
For me, this was like the final nail in the coffin, so to speak. I did stay in touch with a few people, and discovered that one by one, they all left that company for similar reasons. It turns out the grapevine was never tamed because employees knew they were never getting the truth from management. People spent a whole lot of time talking and philosophizing and assuming and whining about all the topics that management made announcements about. They missed the mark on honesty and forethought.
As Stephen Denning reminds us in Squirrel Inc, "Every organization has a shadow aspect, hidden but alive---pulsing, throbbing, and moving. Once a leader realizes its existence and its role in the organization, its energy can be harnessed to deal with the rumors and bad news that flow through it." The mistake this company made was thinking they could outsmart the grapevine with announcements that fell far short of honesty. I share this story in a spirit of "lessons learned" for all managers, owners, leaders, and employees everywhere dealing with the grapevine in their place of work. Use it well, my friends!
As for me, I moved on. Fortunately I realized it really wasn’t personal, and in fact the problem was that it wasn’t personal enough. Management did not, through word or deed, respect employees as human beings. Now I feel truly thankful for the experience, because I learned the value of water-cooler talk versus the management memo, and it made me a far better manager, leader, and business owner.