Office gossip — how to stay reasonably informed without getting pulled in

Office gossip is real, it contains useful information, and completely avoiding it makes you a less informed participant in your own workplace. But being known as a gossip creates reputation risks that aren't worth it.

My strategy that's worked for 5+ years:

Listen, don't contribute. When gossip happens around you, you can hear it without adding fuel. "Oh really?" is enough to stay informed without spreading anything.

Never be the one who tells two people the same piece of information. Once you do this, you become a node in the gossip network that people specifically use.

Be a dead end. If someone tells you something sensitive, it stops with you. People will know this and trust you more, which means you actually hear more of what matters.

Filter for useful signal. "X is leaving" is useful. "X is having an affair" is not your business and knowing it doesn't help you.