Quite frankly, the majority of us complain about work because it’s work. We are all guilty of doing so at some point. But coworkers who repeatedly complain and make no effort to address and resolve issues are “stuck.” If you work with a chronic complainer, you may feel like you are held hostage to their negative mumblings. Rest assured, you can prevent being taken hostage to negativity.

At the core of today's business problems are "challenging people behaviors." Often, people are recruited and promoted into leadership and management positions because of their technical (hard) skills. While they may be intellectual wonders in technology or subject area experts, they are a relational management disaster risk. 

​I’ve heard it said that the way employees communicate either makes or breaks an organization. Spoken words are powerful as they contain the ability to help or harm others. One form of communication: gossip, is a killer of workplace culture. The way managers and employees respond to gossip either safeguards or erodes workplace culture.

​We have all felt the sting of cutting words, the stab of sarcasm and the sickening silence when a coworker is assaulted with a verbal bomb.  When workplace word wars occur, employees become casualties, relationships are strained and morale plummets. When verbal outbursts occur, organizational culture erodes, productivity is held hostage, and attrition skyrockets.

​​While email has made workplace communication efficient, there are times when face-to-face conversations are needed. At these times, defaulting to email is risky and may result in workplace nightmares.