A Lesson on Whisper Networks from Bridgerton

“Gossip is information. It forges bonds, especially for those who are told so little.”

-Penelope Featherington

The Short Summary: Whisper networks protect the less powerful when the powerful fail. As leaders, you have the power to do more to protect those in your organization so that they don’t have to protect themselves through whispers in the bathrooms and in the halls. Read on to find out what you can do.

If you haven’t watched the latest episodes of Bridgerton yet, don’t worry, there are no spoilers here!

But if you have, you’ll easily remember Penelope Featherington’s monologue in the final episode of the season. In it, she says,

“Gossip is information. It forges bonds, especially for those who are told so little.”

We so often talk about gossip and its impact as a negative. And undeniably, there can be a negative impact of this type of communication.

However, “whisper networks”, or the private chain of information between people, can also be a critical way that those who with less power share information. Think about it like your old game of telephone – passing information, quietly, from one person to the next.

Although “whisper networks” can apply to any group of people, they are most frequently used to describe the ways women share information about dangers they have experienced at work. It’s an information communication method used to protect others. They whisper about who others should avoid because they are a little too handsy, or the office where you should always leave the door open, or when you should bring a friend…

Why do these networks emerge?

Just as Penelope tells us, it’s for “those who hold so little.” So little power. So little influence. So little control.

We know that women, non-binary, and transgender individuals are more likely to experience harassment at work. But we also know that harassment at work is rarely punished in a way that truly protects those who are harassed – if it is punished at all.

So how do those who identify with these groups protect themselves when those in power fail them?

They share their stories. They talk. They “gossip.”

I often joke that the women’s bathroom is the equivalent of the men’s golf course. It’s where we share secrets. It’s where we connect. It’s where we protect each other.

My own research with Dr. Jennifer Griffith at The University of New Hampshire (Medeiros & Griffith, 2019) reviewed stories from surgeons who had experienced harassment and abuse on the job. One of the themes that emerged across their stories was that senior doctors and hospital leaders regularly failed to protect them. Instead, the surgeons protected each other through whisper networks. They quietly shared information from one surgeon to the next about who in the hospital had a history of harassment, bullying, aggression, abuse.

If you’re a leader, its your responsibility to protect your employees and to not force them to rely on whisper networks to know who to avoid at work.

So what can you do?

1.        When you hear about bad behavior, investigate and act. We know that these instances are severely underreported, in part, because there is rarely any follow up actions taken. You can shift this behavior and discussion from the shadows to the forefront by recognizing that it is an issue and taking action.

2.        Listen and ask. People are talking – maybe not to you, but they are talking. Create mechanisms where your team can anonymously share concerns. Ask people to bring their concerns forward. When they do, listen with empathy. Then see point 1.

3.        Don’t sweep bad behavior under the rug. Doing so doesn’t get rid of the problem. It’s still there and everyone knows it. All you are doing is forcing the topic into the shadows and your employees to protect themselves.

4.        Be bold. It can be scary to ask people to tell you about problems – because a) then you know about them and b) you have to do something about them! However, they exist whether you know about them or not. Bringing them to your attention and taking action can help you take control of the problem and as a result, create a safer work environment.