Is Your Subordinate a Snitch?

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Snitches are not good for office morale. Of course, as a leader, we want our employees to share concerns with us. We do so by creating an open and engaging environment where employees feel free to come forward with constructive criticisms and concerns. Ideally, the intent of this type of dialogue should be to optimize the workflow and work environment and not to get someone else in trouble.

Snitches tattle on their peers and spread malicious stories about them. Sometimes, they tell tales because they are jealous or vengeful. It’s a childish way of trying to make themselves appear better by making a coworker look bad.

Subordinates often resort to squealing because they feel frustrated at being unable to advance from their present level. They take on the role of informant, hoping to gain an advantage when some position becomes available. If that’s the case, you must tighten your managerial reigns. Look at existing or non-existing measurable objectives, how you are rating and rewarding good performance, and the quality of discussions with each of your employees.

When faced with malicious fault-finding, look beyond the gossip to the forces producing it. Why are these employees feeding the grapevine or coming to you with their stories? What power struggles are going on? Are the results inconsequential, or are innocent people being harmed?

What You’re Thinking

Sherry told me a couple of things about Mel that could possibly be important for me to know. According to the grapevine, Mel and her spouse are having problems. Maybe this wouldn’t be a good time for Mel to take on a new and challenging assignment. On the other hand, maybe Sherry told me this so that I’d ask her instead of Mel to do that highly visible job. Sherry also complained that Mel was late with the monthly figures. Mel is too good a worker to let this go by. I’d better have a talk with her to find out what is really going on here.

What She’s Thinking

I think I planted that tidbit about Mel pretty well, offering it as a possible explanation for Mel’s work not being up to the usual high standard. If the boss goes by the water cooler, she’ll hear the same thing. It doesn’t take long to get wall-to-wall coverage on fresh gossip.

Strategy

Your goal is to sort the information you get from tattlers. You have to separate harmful, spiteful gossip from useful intelligence data. You need to lead by example and clearly state that idle gossip is neither encouraged nor tolerated in your office.

1. Teach tattletales to solve their own problems. In considering jealous backstabbing, ask yourself why they are trying to use you. Have you become the indirect means of dealing with problems they refuse to face directly? Force subordinates to take responsibility for themselves. Don’t get caught in the in-fighting.
2. Lead by example. Don’t be a tattler yourself. Avoid spreading gossip. Instead, speak directly to the person instead of adding any fuel to the gossip train.
3. Determine whether you need to change procedures that might be encouraging tattletales. You don’t have to reveal your source when following up on some report that was given to you, such as a worker who’s having a problem or a customer who was dissatisfied.
4. Be alert for clues to potential patterns, problems, and changes. Go to lunch with your team. Listen when your subordinates talk to each other. When you’re at a team meeting, keep your ears open and watch to see who is talking to whom. Chat with anyone who’s in touch with the many levels of your organization.

If there’s a lot of snitching going on around your office, look at how you’re motivating your subordinates. They may feel dead-ended and resort to being informants to carve a place for themselves when a new position does come to pass. Weigh what’s being said against what the squealer has to gain by telling this to you. Lead by example by steering clear of gossip and focusing only on relevant business information.