Turning Gossip into Growth: How to Manage the Grapevine at Work

Our Head of People Success Antara Telore, shares her recent experience managing the workplace grapevine and offers valuable insights on how leaders can turn rumors into opportunities for growth.

Every organization has a grapevine — an informal communication network where rumours grow and speculation thrives. While it’s often dismissed as harmless chatter, the grapevine can quickly spiral into confusion, anxiety, and a dip in morale if left unchecked.

At FocusU, we’ve had our fair share of grapevine moments. One incident that comes to mind was during a team offsite scheduled. Coming off the heels of a few months of high attrition, whispers started spreading like wildfire. The highlight of this rumor mill? That the offsite was a setup to announce mass layoffs. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.

But let’s face it — grapevine chatter isn’t unique to us. Every leader has likely dealt with some version of this. The good news is, there are ways to manage it without losing your mind (or your team’s trust).

Why Do Rumors Start?

Rumors often start with a mix of uncertainty, fear, and … well, a good imagination. Take the offsite example: no context, plus high emotions, equals a breeding ground for wild assumptions. Similarly, even something as simple as a leader extending their trip post-offsite with a few other team members can stir up talk about “privilege” or “favouritism.”

In many cases, these situations are less about the events themselves and more about the lack of information. People fill in the blanks, and that’s where the trouble begins.

How We Tackled It

Managing the grapevine is all about stepping in before the whispers become a roar. Here’s what we did:

1. Address It Head-On

We started the offsite’s opening session with humor: “We’re not fools to spend company money on a nice venue, great food and fun activities just to fire you!” Cue laughter, relief, and a much-needed reset of the room’s energy

2. Put Facts on the Table

Transparency is key. We openly discussed the reasons behind recent attrition — without naming names — and addressed the elephant in the room: “Is something wrong with FocusU?” The answer? Nope. Just a mix of performance issues and people pursuing their dreams. Not as drama-filled as you were hoping it would be.

3. Provide a Safe Space for Questions

Enter: Why the Duck, our anonymous feedback form. It’s a platform where anyone can ask the tough questions without fear of judgment. By tackling these queries openly, we not only squashed rumors but also reinforced that it’s okay to ask.

Building a Grapevine-Resistant Culture

While it’s great to tackle rumors as they arise, the ultimate goal is to create a culture where they don’t take root. Here’s how:

1. Create Psychological Safety

If people feel safe to ask questions, they’re less likely to rely on secondhand stories. Encourage open dialogue and make it clear that no question is too small or silly.

2. Embrace Radical Candor

Kim Scott’s framework of Radical Candor — caring personally while challenging directly — has been a game-changer for us. It’s not about sugarcoating things; it’s about being honest, kind, and constructive.

3. Promote Feedforward

Rather than dwelling on past mistakes, feedforward focuses on future improvements. It’s a simple way to keep conversations positive and forward-looking.

4. Get to the Root Cause

Rumors often point to deeper issues, like a lack of transparency or unclear communication. Solve those, and you’ll nip many rumors in the bud before they even start.

Quick Tips for Leaders

• Pick Your Battles: Not all rumors are created equal. Focus on the ones that could harm trust or morale.
• Focus on the Issue, Not the Person: When addressing concerns, make it clear you’re tackling the problem, not the people involved.
• Celebrate Openness: Recognize and reward team members who ask questions or share concerns—they’re helping foster a culture of trust.

The Silver Lining

Dealing with rumors can feel exhausting, but it’s also an opportunity. Every time you address the grapevine with transparency and empathy, you strengthen your team’s trust in leadership and each other.

At the end of the day, managing the grapevine isn’t about silencing people — it’s about giving them a reason to trust the facts over the fiction. So, next time you hear whispers brewing, take a deep breath, lean into your values, and tackle it head-on. Who knows? You might just turn a potential problem into your team’s next big win.