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IU researchers shed light on workplace gossip

Associated Press - October 28, 2009 4:14 AM ET

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Indiana University researchers are shedding light on the dynamics of workplace gossip with a new study that captured gossipers in the act on video.

The IU team studied the workplace politics at an elementary school in the midst of an uncomfortable transition after a new principal took over.

As part of their research, they videotaped school staff meetings and captured 25 episodes of gossip. The researchers say the footage shows the subtle ways that people who are targets of gossip are negatively evaluated during formal work meetings.

Those include veiling criticism with sarcasm or praising another colleague for comparison.

The IU team says gossip can undermine people who aren't present, but it can also enhance someone's reputation if people talk positively about them behind their back.

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