You’ll find them hovering over a shared printer, sauntering outside doorways and consistently lowering the volume on their computer speakers. We’re talking about the Office Eavesdropper (O.E.), found in Every Office, USA.
If knowledge is power, this control freak soaks up every drop. The O.E. has several potential motives:
– Acquire knowledge to disseminate (gossip)
– Hold onto info for a rainy day (power)
– Listening for the sake of listening (loser)
Surreptitiously listening to a private conversation is not only unethical but it is bad career karma.
The O.E. comes in all shapes and sizes, making this animal difficult to find in the Cubicle Zoo. Several giveaways:
– They become silent when people in their vicinity are talking
– The O.E. spends an inordinate amount of time in ‘common’ areas
– They share trivial information about other people with you. (If they do it to them, they’ll do it to you!) They tip their hand by revealing how much useless knowledge they’ve accumulated.
– You find them with a glass against the conference room wall.
It is important to understand what is happening around you at work, but listening in on other people’s conversation should be the exception – not the rule. If you find that the bulk of information you possess is coming from eavesdropping on your coworkers, you clearly need to reflect on how you are communicating.
Have you identified the Office Eavesdropper? Tell us how and help your fellow office workers.
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