How gossip is hurting your pharmacy team – and how to stop it

The reality is these discussions occur all the time, in every part of the pharmacy, from the dispensary to the back office. And research supports this. A study in the journal Human Nature found 70 percent of all conversations are social in nature, while Scientific American reported 65 percent of normal conversations involve swapping stories and gossip. We’re wired for it – children start gossiping as soon as they can talk.

But if we know it gets in the way of delivering high-quality patient care and maintaining a cohesive team, why do we keep doing it?

The pressure in the pharmacy environment can be high. Clear, direct communication matters.

Hardwired for gossip

To understand this, we need to go back – way back – to when we lived as hunter-gatherers. Sharing social information was vital for survival. Talking about others helped us decide who to trust, who was dependable, and who might put the group at risk.

This need to track social dynamics helped shape our brains. Gossip became one of the earliest functions of language. It made the invisible social hierarchy visible.

Gossip also determined our status in the group. If others spoke well of you, you gained credibility and protection. If they didn’t, you were likely pushed to the margins, and back then social exile could mean death. Yes, gossip is hardwired into us. It used to be essential for survival.

Pharmacy is not a tribe in the wilderness

Today, we’re not tracking who’s hoarding food, we’re tracking prescription compliance, and patient safety. But our brains are still operating with ancient wiring.

In a modern pharmacy, gossip often shows up like this:

Instead of addressing a colleague directly, I talk to someone else about them.

Gossip is often driven by low trust or fear of confrontation. While it may feel like a release in the moment, it rarely resolves the underlying issue and often damages team cohesion.

Closing the loop in the pharmacy

Not all third-party conversations are unproductive. Discussing performance concerns with your pharmacy manager or sharing feedback in supervision sessions can be healthy. Referrals, for instance, are a form of constructive third-party dialogue.

The key is this: close the loop.

If you’re discussing a concern about a team member with a colleague to sense-check your reaction, that’s okay. But someone eventually needs to bring the feedback to the person directly. Whether you’re a pharmacist, a technician, or a team lead, closed-loop communication is what builds trust and drives performance.

Next time you find yourself in a ‘safe’ side conversation, ask yourself

Am I avoiding talking to someone directly? And if I am, is someone going to close the loop?

The pressure in the pharmacy environment can be high. Clear, direct communication matters. And closing the loop doesn’t just reduce workplace drama – it’s how you create a culture of safety, trust, and professionalism.

And maybe, just maybe, it’s how we stop behaving like cavemen in white coats.