The last thing you want to do is antagonize a tattletale, because the next thing you know, you’ll be their number one target. If they’re kept completely out of the loop, they’ll have nothing to tattle about. That’s when you do your best to avoid them whenever possible, and warn your coworkers to do so as well. Even if it turns out they’re just downright sadistic, all hope is not lost. Compliment them on their work, or ask them out to lunch. If the tattletale is seeking attention or approval, make an effort to give that to them in other ways. Could it be a cry for help? Is it an attention-seeking behavior? Or does this person just get pleasure out of other people’s pain? Whatever the case may be, it could benefit you to gain a deeper understanding of what motivates this individual-not so you can excuse their behavior, but so that you can stop it. There has to be a reason Molly or Ben has chosen to take on the role of office tattletale. This puts you in a proactive position rather than a defensive one, which is always a critical advantage. Going to your boss and confessing immediately takes control and ammunition away from the tattletale and gives you the opportunity to explain what happened in your own words. If you accidentally screw up, and you know the in-house rat is going to scurry into your supervisor’s office and spill the beans, beat them to it. So the simple solution is: don’t do anything unethical, illegal, or ill advised. It’s genuine misconduct that is going to get the tattletale’s motor mouth running and probably get your boss on your case as well. But if the workplace blabbermouth is running to the boss reporting that you knocked over a box of paper clips, chances are the boss is going to be more annoyed with the squealer than with you. Unless this person is a compulsive liar, if you don’t do anything wrong, you don’t have anything to worry about. In order to take the power away from the tattletale, you have to take away their ammunition. But these tips will help you deal with the office snitch in a professional and productive manner. But how do you deal with a person like this? Reporting them to a superior feels hypocritical. There’s no doubt the person in your office who runs to the boss to report every little slip-up is not going to win any popularity contests. No matter how you say it, the office tattletale is bad news.
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