Norman & Ozi

Coffee break conversations and gossip are the most delicious byproducts of a corporate life. Gossip rejuvenates us and provides us the energy to thrive in an ever-striving environment. They are the bond of unity that radiates a sense of belongingness among the seemingly deprived. They instill courage and help us to inflate our immunity in this cut-throat and selfish world.

Management thinkers and Gurus have always tried to fathom the power of informal groups in organizations that gather for gossip and unite with seemingly common interests. It is certainly interesting to note that the impact of gossip on human minds, especially employees’ minds varies. Some become indifferent, some feel jealous, and some get more motivated. You never know. Just like people with the same mental disorders display different behaviours with the same stimuli, so does the impact of gossip. Some become active, some become nonchalantly passive. Nevertheless, the thirst for gossip is ingrained in the employees, so much, that it can be a good food for office humor.  

Gossips motivate employees and have an undisputable impact on employee motivation. Here’s a scenario!

I recall a story that I heard in the corporate circles a few years back. A shrewd CEO wanted his Personal Assistant to open an envelope that said, “Whoever opens the envelope will be terminated unless they make another of their colleague open it.” The CEO kept the envelope on the table and went out, and seeing the opportunity his PA couldn’t resist opening it as curiosity was killing her. She got the shock of her life after opening it as it perpetrated her to tell a lie. She went and told another of her colleagues that something was written about them in the letter that was kept on the table. This went on in a cycle and everyone opened the envelope, read the letter, and told a lie to their colleagues only to coerce them to read the letter just to save their jobs. Nobody dared to tell the truth.

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This is the nature of gossip. It is always censored according to self-interests and served with a pinch of salt and sugar to make it palatable. This becomes the cause of worry for some and amusement for others.

Where Gossips Galore!

It is normally at the coffee machine, cafeteria, near the water filter, or in restroom queues that gossip germinates. For reasons unknown, great and interesting news is generated and circulated from these places for general well-being. 

But not to worry! Management of the organizations is well aware of this delinquent loophole of the human character. If you have noticed, in most offices, the water filter or the restrooms are generally located at places where the boss sits or where there is an ample overflow of human access and interaction. The objective is to siphon off the weeds of communication or should we say management has long ears. You never know. 

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Hope you liked our pun. If you’ve not you can have a look at my corporate experiences here. Nevertheless, we will be sending you these newsletters just to bring a smile to your face. You can also have a look at the digital comic collections here. You can contact me at comics@normanandozi.com for choosing topics on which you want humorous articles and funny office comics. If it is within our ability, we will surely oblige.