To be irritated at work mates meaningless gossip?

[HackedOffByGossip]

Because I feel like I am going to burst a blood vessel.

There are 2 girls & 2 other guys in my immediate office. One day a week I work from another office with more colleagues in it.

The 4 days I am at the base office they grab onto every single titbit of gossip, even if it's not gossip IYKWIM.

Eg:

K buys a new handbag.... when she's out on a fag break J (female) waddles over to my desk: "Ooh have you saw K's new bag? It doesn't really match her clothes does it?" Then D (male) will say something about the handbag.... I mean, WHY do any of them need an opinion, or indeed care about K's new handbag?

Or one of them will overhear a telephone conversation & pass all the details on... or one of the men will go to the other office (we're all there one day a week) and come back with gossip such as: "X in X office thinks Y from Y office is a bitch because they met her at the traffic lights & they never waved." or if someone walks past & stops at another desk it's all : "I wonder why J stopped there... were they rowing? Oh, maybe there's something going on?"

I mean, why does this happen? I'm not there very long & therefore I keep quiet & try not to say much as I know every morsel of conversation I have with the others will be repeated back when I am out of the room!! Is this just office politics at its worst? I'm not sure how much I can stick the mundane crap tbh.

This is my first job in about 6 years & I guess I am not used to the way it works.

Is this normal in other work places and am I just going to have to toughen up as it's inevitable I am being gossiped about whether I merit it or not!

Very normal imo!! Dont get involved......its umprofessional and only reflects badly on those who do gossip!!

By the way did her handbag really not match her outfit?? {grin]

I dunno, I'm not into fashion....which is maybe what they gossip about me for?

It was leopard print & so was her purse... her clothes were an orange & pink dress with pink shoes.. (If this matters)

Oh my God.....sounds horrendous!!

Only kidding. The best thing to do is stay out of it.....

It's normal for a small office, I'm afraid. Pack mentality. Don't get drawn in.

I try my best, but today it reached the stage where I just wanted to scream "WHat? What is the fucking BIG deal about someone calling someone else 'Sweetie'?

Or: "Did you hear what O said about P? She said he used to have all the girls after him when he was young.".... then the other person will pretend to be interested... or is it just me that raises my eyebrows & pulls a dry smile?

Look you go to work to earn money if you make a friend then bonus, if not head down and ignore the stupid twats. Yes, thats how I feel.

Rise above it.....!

let us the gossip

or even TELL us

Same problem in my office... months of work time have been spent in gossiping about who is stealing the coffee... And we know the full story of Charlotte who is annoyed because a friend of a friend is annoyed because people are making "unsympathetic remarks" of the aunt of the woman siting next to them in a restaurant who commented that the causing of the third husband was meant to say something important that night... Bloody hell... My simpathy, I can stand hearing primary source gossip but good heavens what on Earth do we care about the bloody Charlotte whose opinions we hear about everyday for hours in the office but we have never actually met?

my office is like this and i hate it

i am on mat leave and am dreading going back for precisely this, it is lead by a few who look like fashion plates

when i was pregnant this drove me on the sick, more than my pregancy symptoms, even more than spd and bad back i truly could not stand the gossip and bitchiness - and they werent even gossiping or bitching about me, just about each other all the time

i spent the last 5 weeks before my maternity leave on the sick and took unpaid leave, in order to get a break from it

Oh I am soooo glad my office isn't like this - more the opposite - if you have an issue with someone you don't say anything to anyone else in case they don't feel the same way But really, we mostly all get on well, so no bitching.

In my office they're always stood about laughing and drinking coffee. They seem to be having a great time but they all speak Dutch and I don't understand a blimming word - I guess they could all be talking about me...?They certainly think that all English are p*ssheads - but I certainly have no idea where they go that from....

I used to work in an office like this - it drove me crazy. To make it worse I was constantly questioned by management about whether I was 'happy' because I didn't join in the endless bitching and moaning. I think they even put something on my appraisal about my people skills (aparently lacking) - oh the irony.
I have since moved to a new department in the same company - its completely different and now I finally understand that offices don;t have to be bitchy, opinionated hell holes..

Thanks goodness it's not JUST me then..... I was thinking I had become a wuss.