Someone making up rumours at work. What support can I expect from management

[Afolnerd]

So twice in the last few months I have been called into the office to be spoken to about a rumour that has got back to management. Both times management has been told it has originally come from me.
I categorically didn’t start these rumours and I want my name cleared. Trouble is by the time it gets to management it’s been through lots of people and it’s not clear who started it and said it was me.

Management are fine with me at the moment and seem to believe me, but clearly someone has a problem with me and is trying to cause trouble.

I do have a couple of suspicions about who it is but no proof and short of going all Colleen Rooney I don’t know how to deal with it.

I’m nearly 40 ffs I don’t need this playground nonsense.

I can't see that there is anything you can do. You don't know who is responsible so you can't make a complaint about them. And presumably these are matters that, if they were true, management can't ignore. So they are doing what they can - they have addressed the rumour and determined that they have no reason to take it further. As a manager I couldn't do any different. And unless you can come to me with evidence of who is doing this, I couldn't take any action on it either. You are right about it being "playground nonsense" - so it wouldn't do me any good to come over "all teacher" and haul the whole "class" in and give them all a telling off! As a manager I'd have to think very carefully before doing anything that drastic as it could make everything worse, and I don't really have grounds to warn off people who aren't involved in whatever this is. It's a no win for a manager and a no-win for you too.

I dunno - I think it might be worth having a word retrospectively with the manager. 'Now that this has happened twice I'm a little concerned that someone could be maliciously starting rumours with a view to getting me into trouble. I wouldn't point the finger without proof - but I'd like to have it noted that this has happened. That way if it happens again it will be very clear that there's a pattern and action can be taken.

...it worked out well for Coleen Rooney though...

@Afolnerd as it’s now happened twice, email HR (so it’s a formal record) explain the content of the rumours and say that you would like them to investigate and track back and find out who started the malicious rumours.

I'm wondering at the manager who came to you - why they have not traced the source of the rumours. Really unprofessional for a member fo staff to bring a rumour to a manager without proof of source - I would be asking the manager to demand this kind of evidence or staff face disciplinary for spreading rumours.

Thanks everyone.
I have calmed down a bit and had a chance to think about it. I think you are definitely right and I need something on my record in black and white that I deny them and I believe it’s malicious.
I don’t think they will ever be able to track back accurately now where it started but hopefully if it happens again management can get on top of it quickly and find the culprit.
It’s just all so pathetic.

I think I would also mention it at least among your team and people that you work closely with. Along the lines of there being at least two instances of you being attributed as the source of rumours that you actually had no knowledge of. Ask them to do you a favour if they hear anything like that in the future of a) making a note of the person who told them so that HR can follow up where that person got their info from, b) let you know that a new rumour is circulating and c) not pass it onwards.