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Well, not surprisingly, this question is a source of disagreement several places I've worked.
At the college tutoring center, the director was strict about the tutors never talking in public about the students who come. Even if names aren't used, he didn't want anyone to put the pieces together and feel put-down. Some tutors were better at than others.
In the kitchen at the nursing home, frustrating residents, family members and coworkers were a common topic of discussion. In fact, nurse aides would frequently come into the kitchen when they wanted to gripe about something from "out on the floor." I don't remember my manager ever addressing the issue.
Now, at the newspaper, someone on Copy Desk wants the reporters to refrain from commenting on nutty people on our beats. "We sell a newspaper," she said. "We don't have some high and mighty place in the world. We sell a newspaper, and how can we expect people to buy it if we're criticizing them when they're not here?" On the other hand, when I first started here, I spent the first few months figuring out who was a credible source of information on my beat and who wasn't.
I heard of a newspaper that had a "crazies board" where staff posted the kooky letters to the editor that are too far out there to be printed. (Yeah, you thought the ones that did get printed were reactionary.)
I hear it's fairly common practice in restaurants for servers to talk about the customers once they get back to the kitchen. I remember revelsunrise telling us at a VeBoCon a few years ago the server at TGI Friday's was probably telling the cooks he has a whole table full of vegetarians, and won't this be a riot.
So, what do you think? Does minding your own business mean keeping your mouth shut except when absolutely necessary?
At the college tutoring center, the director was strict about the tutors never talking in public about the students who come. Even if names aren't used, he didn't want anyone to put the pieces together and feel put-down. Some tutors were better at than others.
In the kitchen at the nursing home, frustrating residents, family members and coworkers were a common topic of discussion. In fact, nurse aides would frequently come into the kitchen when they wanted to gripe about something from "out on the floor." I don't remember my manager ever addressing the issue.
Now, at the newspaper, someone on Copy Desk wants the reporters to refrain from commenting on nutty people on our beats. "We sell a newspaper," she said. "We don't have some high and mighty place in the world. We sell a newspaper, and how can we expect people to buy it if we're criticizing them when they're not here?" On the other hand, when I first started here, I spent the first few months figuring out who was a credible source of information on my beat and who wasn't.
I heard of a newspaper that had a "crazies board" where staff posted the kooky letters to the editor that are too far out there to be printed. (Yeah, you thought the ones that did get printed were reactionary.)
I hear it's fairly common practice in restaurants for servers to talk about the customers once they get back to the kitchen. I remember revelsunrise telling us at a VeBoCon a few years ago the server at TGI Friday's was probably telling the cooks he has a whole table full of vegetarians, and won't this be a riot.
So, what do you think? Does minding your own business mean keeping your mouth shut except when absolutely necessary?