Some of you may hear or read about a local news story here in New England. Four town workers in NH were fired for "gossiping" about about their boss, on the job and in front of visitors to Town Hall. Many here are questioning whether it's gossip or slander. After reading the definition of both, I understand the difference is that the slander must have malicious intent to destroy someone's reputation and must be proven false.
Regardless of the difference, gossip, by nature is malicious. Most people don't participate in gossip unless there's a negative aspect to it. We've probably all participated in that excercise where one person tells a secret to another who then re-tells it to someone else. By the time the secret gets to the tenth person, it is completely different and false. Gossip can be harmful and ruin both personal and professional reputations. This is especially true in small towns. I have a friend who is going through this right now and it has caused her great mental anguish. We also had a school employee who was victimized by viscious rumor and it eventually was relayed to students.
We all know just how difficult it is to terminate a municipal employee. It's near impossible. These four workers are searching for sympathy but they didn't have any for their boss, his family or his reputation. And they won't get any from me. I hope this gives pause to anyone, especially in the workplace, when they decide to participate in gossip. By the way, an investigation did find the gossip to be false. The question is, was it malicious? Try proving it.