Good Breeding: Loose Lips Sink Ships
Working in an office has its benefits. You are surrounded by people who are, for the most part, paid to not look like slobs, there is an endless supply of free stationary and bar-topped credenzas are the ultimate symbol of success. Yet, there are dangers in this polished paradise.
Despite those unassuming smiles, work is guerilla warfare, and those tasseled loafers have steel toes. The general working populace is not happy. They complain. They plot. They form factions and engage in social maneuvering of military proportion. And what is the ammunition of this rogue installment? Gossip.
That’s right, licentious tales of mailroom trysts and the occasional breakfast martini can ruin careers faster than a polyester suit. Yet, it is not just the subjects of these stories that are at risk, it is those repeating them. You may feel authoritative giving a play by play young Arthur and Mildred’s happy hour antics, but do you really want stories about your Cambridge drinking society days making the rounds? I think not.
If you have nothing nice to say I certainly want you sitting next to me at the next board luncheon, but there is no way I am turning over the keys to the executive washroom. Remember, knowledge is power, but unless your blue blazer is bulletproof I suggest you use it for good, not gossip.
Confidentially,
Bootstrap
