He's in trouble for sure. Reflect on the number of times you have seen these kinds of rumors blow up into incidents that require manager's meetings, memos and disciplinary action. Believe me when I tell you how much your boss and all the others that get dragged in detest this sort of thing. Everyone loses, even the casually involved. Your absolute refusal to participate in the rumor mill will help establish your professional credentials and may help keep some of this nonsense out of the office.
Mature professionals treat company-sensitive material with great care.
They never become cogs in the rumor mill. They can be unquestionably trusted with confidential and sensitive information. They know that anything less than strict adherence to these rules is childish and immature, and will severely hurt their career. Related links Amy Schurr is an editor for Network World's Management Strategies and Features sections. Careers index Past newsletters.