Post by Shuftin on Nov 24, 2006 4:26:21 GMT -5
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA – Psst. Did you hear? Employees at the Cumberland County ABC stores can’t gossip any more.
The Alcoholic Beverage Control system has banned gossiping and threatened to fire anyone who tells tales or spreads rumors.
Gene Webb, the system’s general manager, issued the order in February, making employees sign a statement that says, “Take care of the business in your individual store; do not try to get involved in the business of another store or employee.”
He declined to elaborate on what prompted the gag order.
“It’s really a problem with one or two employees,” he said Tuesday.
The statement that his 64 employees had to sign warned: “If you get a call from someone about something happening in another store, ask that person if the information has something to do with you — if not, you are not interested.”
Webb said such policy is common in business, but some public agencies don’t identify gossiping in their employee manuals.
Officials at the N.C. Office of State Personnel, the city of Fayetteville, Cumberland County and Cape Fear Valley Health System said that although they have employee policies to discourage inappropriate or unprofessional behavior in the work place, they don’t ban gossiping per se.
RELATED
* View the memo (PDF file)
“I’m just not sure how you would practically go about enforcing something like that,” said Doug Hewett, a city spokesman.
County Manager James Martin said the county’s code of ethics, which does not mention gossip, works well. He said enforcing a no-gossiping rule would be difficult.
Lula Crenshaw, an ABC Board member, said the policy may be unwarranted.
“It’s the nature of the beast,” she said. “People are going to talk.”
Webb said the rule has reduced gossiping and, in the long run, will boost morale and productivity and lessen the system’s liability against slanderous talk. He said no one has been disciplined under the new policy.
He expects employees to report gossipers. But if they rat out a fellow worker, they shouldn’t whisper it around.
www.fayettevillenc.com/article?id=230702
The Alcoholic Beverage Control system has banned gossiping and threatened to fire anyone who tells tales or spreads rumors.
Gene Webb, the system’s general manager, issued the order in February, making employees sign a statement that says, “Take care of the business in your individual store; do not try to get involved in the business of another store or employee.”
He declined to elaborate on what prompted the gag order.
“It’s really a problem with one or two employees,” he said Tuesday.
The statement that his 64 employees had to sign warned: “If you get a call from someone about something happening in another store, ask that person if the information has something to do with you — if not, you are not interested.”
Webb said such policy is common in business, but some public agencies don’t identify gossiping in their employee manuals.
Officials at the N.C. Office of State Personnel, the city of Fayetteville, Cumberland County and Cape Fear Valley Health System said that although they have employee policies to discourage inappropriate or unprofessional behavior in the work place, they don’t ban gossiping per se.
RELATED
* View the memo (PDF file)
“I’m just not sure how you would practically go about enforcing something like that,” said Doug Hewett, a city spokesman.
County Manager James Martin said the county’s code of ethics, which does not mention gossip, works well. He said enforcing a no-gossiping rule would be difficult.
Lula Crenshaw, an ABC Board member, said the policy may be unwarranted.
“It’s the nature of the beast,” she said. “People are going to talk.”
Webb said the rule has reduced gossiping and, in the long run, will boost morale and productivity and lessen the system’s liability against slanderous talk. He said no one has been disciplined under the new policy.
He expects employees to report gossipers. But if they rat out a fellow worker, they shouldn’t whisper it around.
www.fayettevillenc.com/article?id=230702