Got a co-worker who's always complaining about the boss and tries to include you in the chatter? One listener does, and wants to know how to back away. Attempting to cut these negative conversations short and walk away just hasn't worked. So, when a confrere can't take a hint, you'll need to slowly escalate your response.
Start with moderate, non-verbal cues like walking away, as our listener tried. The next step is to address your colleague with a more concrete response by saying, "I don't have time right now" or "I need to get back to work." If this still doesn't squelch the backchat, be direct by explaining how you prefer not to talk about someone in this manner or participate in this kind of conversation.
Remember, you're not judging the other person for what they're complaining about, but rather expressing how you're not comfortable discussing the topic. We've learned that gossip in the workplace can become a virus and it needs to be shut down.
If you have an etiquette question for us, send it to: awesomeetiquette@emilypost.com.
