Sociology of Office Work?

Question

I have often heard that working in an office is terribly difficult in terms of dealing with the daily gossip among employees.

Do you work in an office environment?

If so, do you experience this gossip that we often hear about?

Answer 1

I have worked in an office, and yes, gossip is a problem.  Frankly, anywhere you have more than a handful of people working together, you will have gossip.  I suspect is has to do with the nature of humans and the desire to feel superior to others, so people gossip to boost their ego a bit.  Competition in the workplace also causes gossip since people are trying to get a leg up on others and sharing "information" in an effort to jockey for a better position.  Notice how most people who gossip don't do it in a positive way?  Also, the office environment can be pretty sterile and uninteresting, so people gossip to drum up a little excitement as well.