How to stop the rumours

Rick Ellis

Controlling rumours in the workplace can be a tough fight and perhaps no company has been plagued by them more than TVNZ.

Megan Richards, public affairs manager at TVNZ, says the best way to stop rumours is to give staff timely and accurate information.

"The thing that happens and where you start to worry is where rumours start because of a vacuum of information. It's because of a lack of concrete information, and because of the slight hostility that goes with that, damaging rumours can then start to circulate."

Richards says TVNZ has developed a new internal communications initiative.

"Setting the record straight and providing useful information early is something we're concentrating very hard on just at the moment."

But Richards also says rumours have their place.

"Gossip can be both good and bad. At its best it's a form of bonding where people share information in a friendly kind of a way."

But to control bad rumours, Richards says what's needed is decisive leadership.

"What we're trying to do is create a climate where the organisation develops a track record of openness and timely distribution of information. When that happens I think most employees are willing to hold back from some kind of frenzy of rumour-mongering if they feel confident that the organisation's leadership knows where it is going and there is a history of giving information out as soon as it possibly can be distributed."

TVNZ CEO Rick Ellis has been moving through the company department by department talking to the various groups about the strategic work going on and where he intends it to lead. He also has his own email newsletter.

"The chief executive puts out his own message. It has its own style, its own format. It has his picture on the bottom. He takes that opportunity to talk about issues that are important to him in terms of alerting people to what the company strategy is - where we're going and why."

TVNZ recently conducted an internal survey to ask employees about the company's internal communication procedures. With 300 replies, staff reported that they wanted to be told of issues even if they couldn't be told of the details.

"If there are issues of sensitivity then they can tell their staff, 'Yes this issue is around. I expect to be able to tell you more about it at X time'. Give some kind of a timetable. There is quite a lot of work being done on that at the moment."

Because TVNZ is a high-profile public enterprise and is answerable to the taxpayer, Richards accepts there will be plenty of gossip about what it does.

"Because of the level of scrutiny that TVNZ is under, we're in the spotlight more often than many organisations are and so there are occasions where we might want to respond to wrong or inaccurate information that's being published."

Other factors also make it difficult for the state broadcaster to stay on top of rumours.

"TVNZ is an unusual organisation because we have the normal problems of being a multi-site 24-hour enterprise which makes it hard to communicate with shift workers. But on top of that we're working in an intensely competitive commercial environment."

The new communication initiative also aims to keep middle managers fully briefed and confident about what they can and cannot say.

"A lot of staff find that their best source of information is there own manager. That's an area where we're doing some work as well."

It's hoped TVNZ's new style of internal communications will help give it a smoother road ahead.

"We're aware that TVNZ has a lot of work to do so if we can clear away the distractions and the muddy water and set people's minds at rest then it allows people to work more single-mindedly toward what the organisation's goals are."

Nancy McConnell, managing director of Hansen McConnell, is an external communications consultant and advises major corporations on how to communicate with employees and stakeholders.

She says that in order to stop rumours, organisations need to make communication a priority.

"Rumours get started when communication is poor and the key question of, 'How does this affect me?' is not getting answered. In a company culture where management stays silent and don't say anything then whispering campaigns just abound."

McConnell says the results of negative rumours are significant and can include lower morale, increased stress, decreased productivity, lost trust and negative media attention.

"Scotching rumours and the difference between a positive and a negative workplace comes down to leadership and people having trust in the leadership. You only get trust when you tell both the good and the bad."

McConnell says good two-way communication channels need to be open and functioning to stop rumours. Since rumours particularly run rife during times of change, this is not the time to start trying to scramble together a communications strategy.

"Leaders recognise that rumours are very destructive particularly in times of change. The strongest leaders are the ones who are out there asking questions, listening to people and are ready to answer their concerns even if they can't answer them straight away."

Even when not all of the information can be made public, leaders still need to communicate. Key stakeholders and customers may also catch wind of the rumours and they also need to be correctly informed.

"Rumours are all about conjecture. But you can explain the process the organisation is going through. Set up a timetable for information. Say when information will be available."

Managers should be correctly informed and singing from the same song sheet when they talk with staff. Staff should be able to receive the same answers consistently no matter which manager they talk to. And they should be able to talk with them face to face.

"Face to face is by far and away the strongest medium to use. With face to face, if you've developed a relationship, people can ask the questions. Face to face is number one."

Some managers may not feel comfortable delivering bad news in person but that's something they have to become accustomed to.

"Leaders have to have credible reputations. The only way you have a credible reputation is if your workers know that you share good and bad news with them. If they know that you share the good and the bad news with them then rumours can get scotched pretty quickly."

McConnell finds that overall New Zealand organisations do have good two-way communication channels in place. But that's still not a defence against the malicious worker who is determined to be a stirrer.

"In every company there's always a troublemaker. It just seems to be part of the communities we live in. I think there will always be troublemakers out there. That type of person might be someone who hates authority. They will always be provocative. They might just naturally be a gossip."

McConnell says these people can be destructive but can also be stopped.

"Some people can be quite bullying with gossip and rumours. They can be quite nasty. The thing is to challenge the person publicly. If you put them on the spot then they may stop."